Shadows Without Light
by ThyJoKing
Summary: When he finally vanquishes Voldemort, Harry finds his mind corrupted and his body sent to the land of tarnished souls. But in a place where his new friends have less future than he has past, should he be the one to lead them? For without his Light, they would have cast no Shadows. Dedicated to the late Monty Oum. Pre-RWBY. Prologue removed.
1. I May Fall

A/N **Hello, Jo here. This is my first story, and I want to do it _right_. This has a long reaching plot, with a few 'minor' changes to the both universes.**

**This isn't just a throw Harry in Remnant, give him OP weapons and see what happens. No, this is a story of Harry's involvement with the pre-RWBY world.**

**Also, ignoring the hell out of Volume 3. A talking Neo, Qrow's weapon, _Maidens_? No thanks.**

Disclaimer: **I owned RWBY for two minutes, but that may have been a dream.**

* * *

**Chapter 1.**

**I May Fall**

* * *

**_There's a day when the world burns around us_**

11:30 PM 31st December 1999

On a small plane of existence, there exists a small rocky planet orbiting a small yellow star on one arm of a galaxy among many. It lies at the metaphysical center of the universe, not the physical center. It's about seven trillion light years west of the real center. It's the metaphysical center because it has the only Life in a cold universe.

No, hang on, say the scientists. Surely somewhere in the vast emptiness life has evolved. And they're right. But not Life. Not intelligent Life, defined by their willingness, not to survive, but to exist and persist.

On this small blue-green planet, called "Earth" (a not very reasonable name given a good two thirds of it is water), there exists a small island. On this island, in a small street, in a small suburb, there is a small house. It's not very nice-looking, and it's very grubby and dirty compared to its neighbours. There is one small important detail about it however, and this is it:

_It's not really there._

None of the neighbors can see it. They simply remark on the quite amusing clerical error that caused number 11 to end up next to number 13.

Magic hides it, showing it to only those who know about it. The force of magic is strong on this world, permeating through the air and through the people. Not many worlds have something quite this powerful, and the power always comes with a price, a way for Darkness to rise. On this world, the power is easily abused, man easily corrupted.

Inside the building, wherever it may be, sits a group of magicals around an oak table. They are nervous, and making final goodbyes. They know that they will lose people, that some may fall in the name of justice.

Because they are about to try and illuminate that Darkness, attempt to purge the corruption, the greed, the worst of humanity.

The teenager at the head of the table looks very weary, as if waiting for the guillotine to drop. He has dark messy hair, and is wearing a set of black wizarding robes. The table is silenced quickly when he stands to his feet and clears his throat. He green eyes twinkle behind his round glasses, all weariness gone, instead replaced with a burning fire.

"My fellow members of the Order of the Phoenix, today may be our final battle, our greatest offense."

He paused, and looked around at the expectant faces.

"We will be victorious, whether we win or lose. Because we will burn as a light in the darkness, blinding the shadows and bringing hope to the masses. We will deal a great blow against the Dark Lord today. We will show him that _we are still fighting_."

An inspiring speech, given by a leader to his people in a time of need. They don't question him, nor his plan, but simply know that there is no alternative.

They clap for him as he leaves the room, two others following him, close by his side. The trio climb the many stairs in a grim silence, punctuated only by the occasional sound of chatter escaping from downstairs. They reach the top, and enter the attic, unlocking the door with a key hanging from the leader's neck. After closing the door and casting anti-eavesdropping charms, they collapse into the three soft armchairs.

The large desk occupying the centre of the room is covered in miscellaneous books and papers. Thick books, paper blueprints and most curiously, a small leather-bound book, its cover scarred with a perfect circle. The journal simply extrudes malevolence, without actual doing anything.

"Why can't we tell them the whole plan, Harry?"

The woman in the rightmost chair spoke first. She had brown curly hair, and was wearing a wrinkled set of robes. She looked like she hadn't fully rested in a week.

"We just can't. To give them that much hope... If I were to fail, it would break them." explained Harry.

"But they deserve to know, Harry."

_"No, Hermione."_

The redhead interrupted, trying to change the subject. "Where did you pull that speech from, Harry? '_Light in the dark_' and all that. Pretty impressive."

Harry looked down, and said dejectedly, "Professor Dumbledore's old notes."

"Ah."

After a few moments, Hermione spoke up again.

"How can we be sure this is even going to work? The ritual might not work with multiple Hocruxes, and the two times we know it did, the people only had one."

Harry sighed, as if he had already explained this. "The info is definitely from the Department of Mysteries, just stolen by Rookwood, and intercepted by us before it got to You-Know-Who. And just as well too. "

He stood up and started to pace around the room. "We've been on this Hocrux hunt for almost a year Hermione! And we haven't found anything! People have been dying, left and right, while we went on a glorified camping trip. But now we have something, and no matter how untrustworthy the information may be, we have to act on it."

He gestured at the smallest pile of books. The books ranged from a few centuries old, to maybe even a millennia. The top book's title was written in strange spidery writing, in ancient Greek:

_**Το λεξικό δεν Ερπων ὁ δεινός.**_

A rough translation would have been '_The defeat of Herpo the Foul_'. Herpo the Foul was the first man to breed a basilisk, the creator of many dark arts, from the burning Fiendfyre to the Drink of Despair, a successful attempt at the recreation of a Dementor's ability to bring forth the victim's worst memories.

But the darkest of all, the discovery of a ritual that finally turned him from man to monster, was the creation of a Hocrux. He split his soul and his mind for immortality. And this book documented the first Dark Lord's fall from power.

His Hocrux may have been immune to his other inventions, Basilisk venom and Fiendfyre, both destructive beyond measure, but it was not completely indestructible. You didn't need to destroy them, only send them elsewhere.

"For the first time, we have found a way to kill him. Completely and forever. And we have to take that chance. We can't keep running around, hoping to just stumble upon the rest of Voldemort's Hocruxes."

Harry sat back down, leaning forward.

"We've discussed the plan, and it's final. Hermione and I will take Polyjuice Potion of the ministry workers we stunned last week, and I will make my way down to the Department of Mysteries under the Cloak, while Hermione splits off towards the security office and tries to disable the security measures."

Hermione nodded, face looking a little apprehensive about her job.

"After this, Ron will take the Order through the Floo and fight through the Ministry. Try to free as many of the prisoners as you can, and supply them with wands. The apparition wards should be down, and you should evacuate everyone who can't fight."

Ron also nodded, face grave. Hermione spoke up, in a hesitant voice. "But what if something goes wrong? What if You-Know-Who shows up before the ritual can begin?"

Harry picked up the diary, and the fire was back in his eyes.

"I'll improvise."

* * *

_**Then the best die and leave us behind,**_

1:30 AM 1st January 2000

Some time later, the strange people are back at 12 Grimmauld Place.

They are tired, they are injured, and they number far less then they did only an hour before. Grubby, torn and in many cases bleeding, they elicit many cries of astonishment from the wide-awake neighbors. And the neighbors are still awake, simply because the people are firing fireworks into the air, along with what look like lasers. It is far too loud, even for New Years, especially so far past midnight.

Some of them are crying, some are celebrating, and one just sits at the moodily lit kitchen table, contemplating the stains on the surface in front of her.

Hermione Granger was a strange person, and still is. A bookworm till the end, and very loyal to her friends. She never made friends easily, tending to scare them away even at a young age. But Hogwarts was when that had changed. She had found friends, adventures, and magic.

But all good things must come to an end, and evil and discrimination had finally reared its ugly head. She had the scar to prove it, the word Mudblood cut onto the inside of her arm. They had been forced to hunt for indestructible items, hidden from sight. An impossible task. This wasn't a fairy tale, it wasn't possible to destroy the undestroyable, let alone find the unfindable. So they found a way to bring the Hocruxes to them.

The book had described a ancient Archway, hidden deep underground. It told of a soft tattered veil hanging within, muttering, gently whispering to those who had lost family, luring them closer. It told of brave men who had died to find Herpo the Foul's Hocrux, desperate to stop the monster. They had thrown it into the Archway of Death, hoping that it truly would pass beyond the Veil. But Death needed both pieces of the soul, and Herpo too was forced through the Archway by forces unknown to man.

And with this knowledge that the book provided, the battle was won, not because they gained anything, but because of the destruction of a monster. Voldemort was dead, killed once and for all. The Flight from Death was over. And the price was paid, in blood.

Harry Potter was dead. Of course, quite a few others had died too. But the Boy-Who-Lived, dead? Impossible. Yet true. And Hermione would have to accept that.

The plan had succeeded, and then failed. The world had been rid of its darkest shadow, moments before it had lost its brightest light.

People wouldn't mourn the death of Harry Potter. They wouldn't celebrate his life.

No, instead the people would celebrate the vanquishing of the Dark Lord, just as they had done sixteen years before. And Hermione couldn't blame them.

Ron sat down heavily opposite Hermione. He looked just as she felt. He probably felt even worse, losing his family as well as his friends. A deep cut had been scored across his face, cutting to the cheekbone, but he didn't seem to care. It would scar him forever.

"He's dead" he muttered in a low voice. She didn't know whether he was talking about Harry or Voldemort. "Really dead this time."

"Either must die at the hand of the other," Hermione said hollowly, "For neither can live while the other survives."

Ron winced at the line of the prophecy. It was all too obvious now. Prophecies were never straight forward. Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort were destined to die together.

More people were celebrating in the next room over. Ron could vaguely hear loud bangs, probably more fireworks, outside.

No-one had actually seen either of them die, of course. But too many people had seen Voldemort himself travel down to the Department of Mysteries, with swift movement, blasting anyone, friend or foe, out of his way.

The first sign of a great battle fought between Harry and Voldemort, were the rumbles deep below the ground. Cracks had appeared in the lower levels of the ministry, releasing the Dementors from their cells. They had descended upon both sides of the battle, feeding on any unprotected souls.

Thankfully, the next thing that happened were the terrifying shrieks of every Dementor as they lit up in individual flashes of light.

No-one knew what had happened to the no longer immortal Dementors. Some were saying the concentration of magic was too extreme, and that they had been vaporized, but that didn't explain why the Dementors in Azkaban were missing as well.

No-one was even able to study the burnt remains, because seconds after the immolation of the Dementors, the entire Ministry had collapsed, straight down into the dark secret chambers of the Department of Mysteries.

The muggles had reported on the small sinkhole suddenly appearing in the middle of London. But even now, the media were getting distracted by the massive amounts of illegal magical celebrating going on. Even the Obliviators would be celebrating wildly. Flocks of owls, shooting stars, probably some Weasley Fireworks. Maybe some of it would be chalked down to the New Year celebrations. The cleanup would be hard, maybe impossible.

The sinkhole hadn't hurt anyone directly, because the Ministry employees and prisoners had been smart enough to get out of the way of the ensuing battle between the Order and the Death Eaters, and because anyone still alive after the battle had just apparated away as the wards collapsed. Not even any Muggles had been hurt. The Ministry prisoners had dispersed to their homes, probably to pack and move to somewhere safer, maybe France or Australia.

Indirectly though, that was a different matter. At the bottom of the hole were the twisted remnants of the Department of Mysteries. The magic was causing all sorts of weird effects, from white doves appearing in people's sleeves, up to a few new magical plant species popping up.

The magical radiation would take hundreds of years to abate, and that wasn't even including the weird side effects from the broken Time-Turners, which would either shorten or prolong the residue or even keep it going perpetually. The only thing still left standing intact was the Veil, and that was only because it was truly indestructible. The magical forces had twisted even the ley lines in the land.

But that day, the chaos had extended even elsewhere.

The Lestrange vault in Gringotts had cracked open and the goblins were inciting rebellion, again.

A hole had been blown through the wall of Hogwarts, taking out several of the millennia old wards as well as a much surprised Headmaster Snape.

Stonehenge had been disturbed, the large stones surrounding a deep crack in the ground. Muggle investigators were reporting _recent_ human bones buried underneath.

And last but not least, the headless body of Umbridge had been discovered in her home. The last one was probably good news to most people, especially to the muggleborns she had been prosecuting.

Hermione reached across the table and grasped Ron's hand.

"Harry wouldn't want us to mope around. He would have got us to celebrate with the rest, while he did all the moping for us. Imagine what Fred would say if he saw you like this, eh. Probably something jokey, right?"

Ron closed his eyes and squeezed her hand. He opened them again and said seriously, "The war isn't over yet, and we need to make sure what happened last time doesn't happen again. Death Eaters like Malfoy and Rookwood are still out there. The magical world is falling into chaos."

Hermione smiled sadly. "That can wait till tomorrow, can't it? For now, we celebrate."

Ron nodded. "For Harry."

"For Harry." Echoed Hermione.

They sat together, and watched the sky through the only window.

The fireworks filtered down through the grubby window and lit the teen couple, sleeping on the table, exhausted beyond belief.

* * *

_**Because the darkness won't tarnish**_

11:59PM 31st December 1998

Harry stood upon the pedestal in the darkened room, waiting. A small book was held loosely in one hand, and his wand gripped in the other. His Invisibility Cloak was hiding him from sight, though he knew it would be useless.

The atmosphere was brooding, tense. The Veil fluttered gently in an invisible breeze. The air was cold and still.

Harry waited. He knew that Voldemort was coming, had felt his rage through the scar, seen the blood of his minions spilt. Voldemort knew of the theft of his Hocrux, and was coming to reclaim it.

He scar burned, and he saw the image of a door, heavy and black. Voldemort was at the entrance, it wasn't long now. A round room, spinning. This time, Harry heard the loud bang, as well as seeing the explosion through Voldemort's eyes.

The door was blasted off its hinges, but it was not the right door. Planets hovered, and then exploded, as a child might pop balloons. Pluto spun gently until it collided with a chaotic Neptune and both collapsed into each-other with a slow finality. The sun shone blindingly, a wall of flickering flame, before it was darkened by a whispered spell.

Another door, and Voldemort entered the Prophecy Hall. Glowing blue orbs shattered under his pure rage, accidental magic lashing out randomly. Garbled messages played out to no-one, specters of prophets long dead.

"-_the crow, the raven-"_

_"-white fang once against, now with-"_

_"-the blade's arc shall strike down-"_

Unknown, unfulfilled and unheard, the prophecies released their words in white smoke.

The next door simply vanished, and Voldemort stepped carefully through into the next room. His magic was reined in now, careful not to disturb anything. Destroying this room would have dire consequences. They called it Uncertain Death. Not certain death, because well, you might not die.

A relentless ticking filled the air, from the clocks of all manners lining the golden walls. A glass case in the corner shattered, and then rebuilt itself. A bell jar stood on a counter at one end of the room, a broken egg at the bottom floating up to become a dead bird at the top.

Voldemort strode on, melting another door into a heap of bubbling metal, and this time, he had found the right room.

Harry turned and watched his invisible self from Voldemort's eyes through the Veil. It was a disconcerting sight, watching a blank space where you knew you were. He knew Voldemort was sharing this double vision with him and could tell exactly where he was. Looking through the shimmering Veil wasn't helping either. It gave a twisting image through the transparent fabric.

"_Harry Potter."_

The name was said slowly in a low menacing hiss, not so much as a name but as a curse. Voldemort looked directly at him, invisible or not.

"_Tom Riddle."_ Harry replied, with equal loathing. He pushed back the hood of the cloak, his head becoming visible. "It's your birthday." he stated.

Voldemort scowled. "Age does not matter to an immortal." He proclaimed.

Harry held up his hand. The diary dangled from it, supported by one page pinched between two fingers. Voldemort red eyes grew angry at the sight of his mistreatment of the Hocrux.

"An immortal, huh?"

"What do you expect to do with that?" Voldemort asked angrily, slowing his stride towards Harry. "And, I suppose it was Dumbledore who told you about my Hocrux, wasn't it?"

Harry nodded silently, swinging the diary from side to side. Voldemort's head followed it, like a hypnotized snake.

"You cannot hope to destroy it. It is indestructible, even to the darkest Fiendfyre." Voldemort boasted arrogantly, standing on the other side of the Veil now, staring intently at Harry. "Even Basilisk venom, which dissolves through the strongest enchantments, won't affect it."

"I know," said Harry, pulling out the sword of Gryffindor from under his cloak. "I tested it. The venom did destroy the compulsion charms you placed on it though." He sliced across the cover of the book, and a small amount of steam rose, before the cut healed itself, leaving a white scar across the mottled circle already present. Herpo the Foul would set safeguards against his own creations after all.

"And I know you have more than one Hocrux, Tom. You made six of them, didn't you? Splitting your soul into seven pieces. Unnatural. "

The two leaders were circling the Archway slowly, step after step, gazes fixed on each-other. The silence reigned for a few short seconds.

"Yes, I did. But in the course of my experiments, I found that splitting the soul is not unnatural. In fact, the soul is already made up of seven parts, but they are always conjoined, tangled in impossible ways with each other. And with acts that some would consider foul, I unraveled the knots that bind humanity, I made my Hocruxes. I am now more than just a wizard. I am an immortal."

Harry spoke, with a grim smile on his face. "Oh, but don't you see? There has to be a way to destroy them. Don't you ever wonder why there aren't any other immortal evil wizards around?"

Voldemort laughed. It was a small laugh, but it sent shivers down Harry's spine. "They gave up. They had moments of remorse. They let themselves weaken and succumb to _love." _The last word was spat out in such disgust that Harry flinched.

"What of your teacher, what of Grindelward?" he asked.

Voldemort laughed again. "Grindelward never made a Hocrux, you naive child. He was Dark, but he was never had the courage."

Harry raised one eyebrow, and replied "Maybe not, but just remember, the man who boasted of his invincibility lost to Dumbledore at Nurmengard. Just as you will lose to me."

Voldemort gave a silky smile, like a snake finding an extra meal. He stopped walking, and Harry stopped too. They had swapped sides now, and Harry now had his back to the molten remains of the door.

Voldemort took a deep breath, leaned forward, and his eyes seemed to glow red in the dark. His pale face was lit by the meagre light, and showed its snakelike features to Harry.

"I have come closer to immortality than any who have come before. I hold the Elder Wand, which Grindelward gave unto me, until it was stolen by Dumbledore, and I stole it back from his grave. I have split my soul seven times, and I have already come back from death's door once."

He was angry now, fury behind every word.

"If Nicholas Flamel was at the gates of the immortal's palace, then I have already ascended the highest tower. I SHALL NEVER DIE! Do you not understand that you can never hope to defeat me?"

Harry held up the diary properly, and opened it with the other hand, flipping through the blank pages as if he were reading. He sighed and bowed his head, then said pitifully, "I guess you're right."

* * *

_**The sacrifice.**_

Midnight 1st January 1999

He looked up again, and Voldemort almost stepped back with the intensity of the flames in his eyes.

"But the balance must always be restored." And with this, he tossed the book gently towards Voldemort.

Voldemort, startled, instinctively reached out to catch it, but as it passed through the Archway between them, it fell into the shimmering Veil. It dissolved into scarlet dust, floating through the air.

Voldemort just stared in bewilderment, fingers sweeping through the red mist. His face tightened in surprise, and he screamed in a primal voice.

"_No. No! NO!"_

Harry's scar burned like lava. Slow, steady, and dissolving everything. His mind was filled with the agony of anger, pure rage and utter loathing.

Voldemort's wand was torn out of his hand, and passed through the Veil in a shower of bright white dust. The Veil was flapping wildly, caught in an invisible gale.

The floors rumbled and cracked, spitting out a golden goblet through the dark crevice. It flew towards Harry, who was still hunched over in pain. Only because of his Seeker reflexes did he duck in time. The goblet dissolved into shining yellow dust as it passed through the Veil, floating through the air as motes of light.

Voldemort had ran around the Veil to where Harry knelt in pain. He grabbed Harry by his throat and pulled him up to face level. Harry stared into the panic-stricken eyes.

"_What have you done_?" He screamed into Harry's face.

Harry laughed, even though he was still in agony, his throat burning at the touch of Voldemort's slender fingers.

"Did Herpo the Foul ever regret? Did Black Alyss, a woman who made her own daughter a Hocrux, ever love?"

A ring, set with a dirty black stone whipped by, inches from the pair, and shattered into black dust as it hit the Veil.

"You're dead Tom, whether you truly regret your life or not. Your soul is passing through Death's true door even now."

A locket bounced through the open doorway, sounding like it had broken several important items, and Voldemort dropped Harry. It was green, and emblazoned by a green S, and the chain it hung was on covered in blood. Voldemort tried to grab it as it passed, but it tore itself away from his grip, flying through the Veil and turning into green dust.

Voldemort was panicked now, and Harry knew why. Only one Hocrux remained now, according to his count.

The roof began to shake, and boulders began to rain down on them. Harry rolled to one side to avoid a particularly big one, the size of a couch.

Harry saw, lying on his back, the shiny tiara soar through the air towards the Archway. Voldemort failed to stop it again, and his hand was left bloody from the impact. A blue spray of dust hung in the air behind him.

Harry stood up slowly, and met Voldemort's eyes. Green eyes stared into red, and only one pair was triumphant. Voldemort stepped forward but stopped and, if it was possible, paled further.

Should Harry say something to the man who killed his parents? Who ordered the death of so many others? Could anything he said now avenge their sacrifice?

All he could do was watch in silence as Voldemort stumbled, and slowly, slowly he was pulled backwards, as if by an invisible force. His mouth hung open in a silent scream, as he was pulled back into the Archway, vanishing forever from this world. The emerald green dust left behind glittered in the air, like sunlight shining on the scales of a jungle snake.

Harry fell to his knees in exhaustion. The pain in his scar, the pain he had felt for years, was gone, silenced at last. The monster was dead, the world saved, many innocents avenged. The chamber was falling to pieces around him. "Maybe now," Harry thought with skepticism, "I can have a normal life."

A new pain in his forehead told him no. He started being dragged slowly on his knees, pulled towards the Veil. He shouted, panicked, and grabbed the nearest thing, the boulder he had nearly been crushed by.

The Archway was pulling him in, taking him with Voldemort. The Veil was trying to take him!

His scar was burning again, more painful than anything Voldemort had ever caused him. His head was being pulled back, his neck straining under the pressure.

He couldn't die like this. He had so much to do, he had a life to live. He would marry Ginny, have lots of children, and live to the ripe old age of 104. This was unfair!

He couldn't leave behind Ron and Hermione, leave behind his friends and family.

_No, no, NO!_

But Harry's exhausted grip was slipping on the rock, and he felt himself let go. The tattered fabric fluttered, as if reaching out gently for him, and he felt no more pain as he passed through the Archway.

All that was left was glowing scarlet dust. It hovered in the air for a few beautiful seconds, mixing with the emerald green, before dispersing into the falling rubble from the roof.

* * *

**_There's a day when the world burns around us,  
_****_Then the best die and leave us behind._**

**_Because the darkness won't tarnish  
_****_The sacrifice_**

* * *

A/N **The explanation for why the Dementors disappeared is next chapter, but it's a bit subtle, so read carefully.**


	2. Mirror, Tell Me Something

Disclaimer: **Do not own. Monty Oum will always own RWBY, in death as in life. I simply want to create my own world, by way of his genius.**

* * *

**Chapter 2.**

**Mirror, Tell Me Something**

* * *

**_Nearer, nearer, dark surrounds me_**

The Veil is not unique. In many worlds, in all of time, it is found. But it has to be created, or rather, summoned. In one world, the world of Earth, of dirt, it was produced by three young, foolhardy brothers. They wished to summon Death into this world, and each had a different goal.

The eldest, who had retrieved the Thestral heart, was greedy for power.

The middle brother, who had provided the Phoenix skull, was desperate for a way to return his beloved from Death's realm.

The youngest, who was to give his blood to summon Death, was simply curious to see this primal being.

The brothers began the ritual, deep within the earth, in a large natural cavern. The cauldron filled with water boiled above a roaring fire. The light was bright, and the brothers' shadows flickered on the walls.

To the bubbling cauldron they added the Thestral heart, the Phoenix skull, and seven drops of the youngest's blood. And summoned by the three states of Mortality; Undying, Dead and Living, Death appeared.

The eldest saw It as Light. The middle saw It as Darkness. And the youngest saw a hooded man, tall, with his face hidden.

The eldest stepped forward and demanded of Death the power to control the world. With a warning of those who would not be swayed by his power, Death gave unto him the Elder Wand, at its core, a Thestral heart-string.

The second brother stepped forward and begged Death for the power to bring back the truly dead. With a warning that souls have already passed on and none, not even Death, can bring them back, Death gave unto him the Resurrection Stone, made of the skull of the Phoenix.

The youngest brother stepped forward and requested of the power to hide from Death. With the warning that Death is merely the end of Life, Death gave unto him the Invisibility Cloak, imbued with the brother's blood, to work for only him and his bloodline.

* * *

The eldest brother sought to rule the island of his birth, but could never get the people to accede to him. They would always rise up in rebellion, no matter how many times he destroyed them.

Unable to rule, the first brother returned to Death, and demanded a new present. But Death had given him the present best suited and refused to give him another.

Angered by Death's refusal, the eldest brother drank spirits, and had his throat slit by a thief wanting his power while he lay in a drunken slumber. The Elder Wand passed hands and Death took the eldest brother.

The middle brother turned the stone thrice over, and his wife appeared in front of him. But the woman was just a memory of herself, unable to even comprehend the child she had died to give birth to.

The second brother went back to Death to beg for a new present. But Death had given him his gift and would not give another.

Depressed by Death's refusal, the second brother killed himself to truly be with his loved one. The Resurrection Stone passed hands and Death took the middle brother.

The youngest brother wore the cloak for many years, protecting him from the darkness. Only when he had reached an immense age did he return to the resting place of Death and return the Cloak. But Death refused and told him that a gift cannot be returned.

So the brother gave himself as a gift to Death, and Death returned to the void satisfied, leaving behind a doorway to anchor himself always.

To balance the power it had given mankind with the Hallows, Death let loose an equal force upon the land. The monsters took the form of the youngest brother's vision of Death. They were hooded, grey creatures, always seeking souls for their Master. But they were weak, easily held back by the brighter parts of the soul.

This was not the first world in which Death had left a Veil, nor would it be the last. But even It did not understand the consequences of a Veil.

A true door to Death lets monsters pass from both directions.

* * *

Beyond the Veil, in Death's plane of existence, or rather the void between several different planes, perception becomes muddled. The mind tries to fill in the gaps, tries to rationalize the impossible. And what it actually sees is not always what it really wants to see. Hell, Heaven, Limbo, Death caters to all, before passing their souls onto their next great adventure, of which, even It knew nothing.

* * *

Glowing orbs twinkle, spread out across the infinity, before disappearing, engulfed by a Darkness. They shine bright, in different colors of red and blue, green and yellow, white and black, and all the shades in-between. They are the only color in this desolate void.

But the Darkness is a real Darkness, not just the absence of light or a pure blackness, but another substance altogether, hovering, flowing across eternity.

This is the place where you can stare into the abyss, and it truly will stare back.

There was an aberration in the abyss though, several in fact. Aberrations that have not been seen in this realm for hundreds of years, not that Time is a relevant dimension here.

The Darkness surrounds one such abnormality, a book floating in the void, and gathers as close as it can. The brightest scarlet light shines through the mist, the Darkness swirls, and when it spreads again, the journal has vanished. The Darkness moves on, and the abnormalities vanish, as fast as they may appear. It swallows all and sends them on, knowing that It has eternity in which to do so.

The last abnormalities, two men, hover in the void, faces obscured by the unreal shadows. The taller man is shaking, unable to find an escape. He struggles, but there is nowhere to go, nowhere to escape to. Within seconds, or maybe after a millennia, the Darkness swallows the first.

It tears into the scared, insane man, judging, watching every little detail, every dirty secret, every gruesome murder. It stares into his soul, and finds it unworthy and unwhole. Split seven times into eight pieces, it is unstable and unique. This is new to the Darkness. Never in eternity, never in a million rebirths and reincarnations of the universe, has It seen a soul in eight pieces. The soul is only made up of seven pieces, and to have created eight is impossible. And yet, this monster had done it.

The broken piece must not be allowed. It was unnatural, even in Death's realm. Only seven pieces are allowed to pass through. It must fix this problem.

The Darkness stops swirling, and violently exits the body, leaving it limp and hanging. The man lifts his head one last time, and his face can be seen. In one moment, it is the handsome face of a teenager, and in the same moment, a snake-like monster. The faces both have one thing in common though, and that is their eyes. Red as blood, and within them, the essence of defeat. This the terrified stare of a man that knows his fate. What he sees is unique to him alone, but he has spent his life trying to escape from it.

The Darkness contracts around him, and when it expands and moves away, the man is there no longer. Only the light can be seen, moving with the Darkness. The deepest, darkest green.

It will join the shattered piece of the soul. Then, and only then will It pass on the final piece of this corrupted soul, as it has done so before, to the place of broken tarnished souls. The soul must be whole before it can move on into true death, into true blissful oblivion.

The Darkness turns Its attention onto the next anomaly, sending out a different part of Itself to claim a different soul. It has an eternity more to wait, after all, and until then, It must continue Its job.

* * *

**_Sensing things that cannot be,_**

Harry was falling, falling into the deep darkness of the Veil. He had been here forever, and and another eternity would pass before he reached the ground. But there is no such thing as eternity, for one day, even Death must die.

Harry found himself lying curled up on the cold ground. All he could feel was astonishment at still being alive, beyond the Veil, beyond the eternal fall.

He tried to open his eyes, but closed them again immediately. The lights were too bright. There was a slow rhythmic rumble reverberating through the floor, like a train passing through.

He felt himself. All his limbs seemed intact. His glasses were still on his face, not broken or damaged somehow, and more annoyingly, the sword of Gryffindor was on his hip. It was uncomfortable. He had only brought it to demonstrate the Basilisk venom to Voldemort.

He subtly checked whether his wand was in his wrist holster before trying to open his eyes again, squinting against the glare. Blurry shapes began to emerge.

If he was somehow alive, than who knew what else would lie beyond the Veil. At the very least, Voldemort was in here with him. He would need his wand.

Suprisingly, he recognised this place. It looked awfully like King's Cross, but everything was pure white, which did explain the blinding light. It was a lot cleaner and emptier, but that wasn't that hard to achieve.

The rhythmic thumping that sounded like a train was in fact, a train. Or rather, several trains. The platforms repeated endlessly across the station, and at every few platforms was a train, with empty faced figures boarding but not exiting.

Harry might have to revise his statement on not being dead. His astonishment was slowly being replaced by a dull hopelessness.

The trains themselves stretched off into the distance along with the platforms, unending. The same office repeated every few hundred meters, with identical white benches outside every one. None of the clocks had numbers, nor hands. Every platform number was the same. ∞. Infinity. No beginning, no end, simply always.

Outside the office nearest him sat a tall figure, hooded in a dark cloak. Underneath the bench it sat upon was a whimpering child-like creature, for which Harry felt revulsion and at the same time, pity. It was curled up, seemingly trying not to touch its skin, where great raw patches lay, filled with seeping pus.

The figure above it stood from the bench, and Harry thought for one bizarre second that it might be Dumbledore. It was tall, almost three meters, and stood almost as an old man might, tired and carefully.

When the figure turned to him, Harry saw it in closer detail. He reeled back in shock, disgusted. It was a Dementor that stared out at him from beneath the hood. Its face was grey and scabby, the mouth just a gaping hole. But unlike a Dementor, it had eyes, bright blue eyes stretching into infinity. They were deeper even than Snape's black irises.

It started to glide towards him, but he didn't feel the temperature change. It covered the distance between them within seconds, somehow passing through the intervening space without physically doing so. Harry stumbled backwards, pulling out his wand.

**Mortal**. It said, in deep tones.

The voice reminded Harry of Professor Binn's voice, very old and slow. But not the sound of old parchment, like Binn's, but of the sound of dried skin, crackling off a skeleton's bones. He had never heard a Dementor talk. He always thought it would sound raspier.

**You have a choice. Life or Death**.

Harry tried to ignore the fact that the Dementor-thing didn't seem to have a tongue or voicebox, or was breathing. He instead tried to focus on actually finding out where he was. "Where...Where am I? Am I dead? And _what_ are you?"

**This place is the void between realities, a place where you are neither alive nor dead. For the first time, _for the first time in eternity_, a mortal has the choice of which it will be. And what am I?**

**I Am Death.**

Harry knew his jaw was flapping open. This was Death! The Death! It was somehow, impossibly, offering a way out, back to the land of the living.

Finally, he closed his jaw and spoke, suspiciously. "Why are you giving me this choice? Why am I so special?"

Death leaned forward and tapped Harry's forehead with one long bony finger. The touch felt cold and impersonal.

**The shattered shard of a soul is attached to yours. The soul is never meant to be shattered, and is only able to be torn.**

Voldemort made a Hocrux of him? That's why he had been pulled into the Veil!

**The shattered piece**, Death repeated, slowly gesturing behind him at the pathetic curled creature,** must be rejoined.**

"And that will bring me back to life?" asked Harry uncertainly.

Death stared back blankly.

**The soul piece will be rejoined, regardless of your choice, mortal. The choice you are being given is between whether the shard is removed from you and joined to it, or removed from it and joined to you.**

Harry was disgusted the thought of joining anything, let alone his soul, with that creature. "And if I remove the shard from myself?"

**Then you will pass on**. Said Death with finality.

"Oh." That pretty much summed up Harry's feelings at the moment. If he wanted to live, he would have to joined with the horrible remains of Voldemort.

**If you choose Life, than you will be sent to the world of shattered souls, until you reunite the pieces of the soul.**

"Ah" said Harry. The 'Life' choice seemed to be getting worse every moment. Not only would he not actually be going home to Britain, or even Earth, but he would probably have to do another Hocrux hunt, after failing so miserably in the last one. Maybe he could just choose to die. He would see his family again.

**If you choose Death, you will pass on, and the other mortal will travel to the land of shattered souls.**

"Wait a second," interrupted Harry. "You mean if I choose to die, Voldemort comes back to life?"

**The other mortal will continue to exist, yes.**

"Well, fuck that." He said viciously. He couldn't just let Voldemort live after all that trouble. Who knew what chaos he would cause in the new world. "I'm choosing Life."

Death gave him a deep nod, almost bowing. It turned, and started to glide back towards the ugly thing under the bench. Harry walked with him, trying to ignore the creepy face.

"Can I ask a question?"

Death continued to float steadily across the ground.

Harry leaned forward, and almost whispered, though there was no reason. "Do the Deathly Hallows really make someone the Master of uh... You?"

Death turned to him, seemingly angry. The air grew cold around Harry for the first time. Now it truly felt like a Dementor was nearby.

**Do not be presumptuous, mortal**, It almost spat. **Nothing can bind Death. The Hallows were merely objects of power, and now that they have returned to me, not even that.**

Harry wisely chose to shut up until they reached the bench. Close up, the creature was even more disgusting. Its face was heavily scarred, as if it had been cut and then healed badly. The ears were misshapen and bloody. It had not stopped whimpering since Harry got here.

Death picked it up roughly, and Harry flinched at the loud cry it gave. Death held it out to him. Harry took it, trying not to touch any of the raw patches of skin.

"What now?" Harry asked in confusion.

**Let the pieces reunite.**

The creature had grown quiet. It was no longer whimpering, but was reaching up with one weak twisted hand towards Harry.

He bent his head down, letting it touch his lightning scar. When it made contact, it stiffened, and then stopped moving completely in a green flash of light, exactly the same shade as the Killing Curse. It went limp in his arms, and Harry placed it on the ground gently. The souls shards had joined.

A numb feeling was spreading through his head where it had touched him. The station around him was growing fuzzier, a little darker, the edges disappearing into the void.

He turned his head to look at Death, but It had vanished. In Its place, a train had arrived silently at the platform. It was as black, in stark contrast to the rest of the station, and the doors opened up in front of him. He shrugged, and got on. What could he lose?

The doors closed, and the train started to move. Where the train was going, he didn't know. But the sign above the door said one word.

_Remnant_.

A description or a name? For the destination or the passenger?

His whole face was growing colder and colder, starting to hurt now. He reached up to touch his forehead, and found it was freezing to the touch. Something was leaking out of his scar, making his skin hard as bone.

He tried looking into the window of the train, but his vision was blurry. He took his glasses off, dropping them on the seat beside him, and saw a face looking back at him from the window. A white piece of bone poked out from under his black fringe.

The face was almost like his, but the hair was sleeker, the face more cultured, elegant. A young Voldemort stared back at him.

He lifted his hand and the man copied him. This was him. This was his new body, changed to suit his new soul. He pulled aside his fringe to look at his scar. His forehead was white now, like his skin had turned to bone. A crack ran through the middle of the piece, jagged like lightning.

The train was plunged into darkness, as if entering a tunnel. In the darkness, he closed his eyes and grew sleepier and sleepier. His mind grew fuzzy.

What was he doing? Where was he? Who was he?

A voice hissed gently in his mind. _Everything will be alright Harry, _it said quietly_. Just sleep now._

* * *

_**I can't save the innocent**__._

Names hovered out of reach, glimpses of identities and lives. His memories were foggy, blurred beyond recognition, but he remembered a few things.

A street. An ordinary street. A cafe was on the corner, the smell of fresh bread wafting out. It was nice and sunny, a beautiful day.

He turned, and suddenly time had passed, night had fallen. Now, the street was filled with people running, hiding, screaming. The sudden darkness was pierced by lights flashing as cloaked figures battled within the crowd. He could see a bookshop engulfed in flames, shaped in horrible beasts. One second a dragon devouring a person running by, and in another, a tiger roaring, with the sounds of burning books.

He just watched, unable to move, unable to help, unable to act. A small part of him saw the beauty in the cries of the soon to be dead. That part of him laughed and laughed, forcing a grin on his horrified face.

Greens and reds, blues and yellows. The coloured beams of light leapt from wand tips, as the cloaks battled, disappearing and reappearing in puffs of black or white smoke.

One of them stood calmly by him and he slowly reached out to touch the figure. It turned, and he saw a face, snakelike, grinning, just as he was. The face was whiter than a skull, with shining emerald eyes set above a nose as flat as a snake's, with slits instead of nostrils. The disfigured person held a white wand out towards him, handle first, still smiling in joy.

The figure suddenly disappeared, as well as the street behind him. The sounds of battle ceased, the fire stopped roaring, and all that was left was the wand hovering in the air in front of him.

He reached out and grabbed it by the handle, and in a flicker, he was crouching behind an upturned table. A man and woman were lying next to him, terrified. The wand was more familiar now, a burned black rather than bone-white.

"On the count of three, run. OK?"

He realized that it was him who was talking. The couple next to him both nodded.

"One, two, THREE!"

He stood up, and shot red light at the masked figure outside the shattered window. One of the couple had been hit by the immediate return of green light, and crumpled to the floor, unmoving. The other had run out the back exit, behind the counter. The figure shot another green beam back at him. He ducked again, then stood and sliced the wand through the air precisely. Words were shouted, but they didn't seem to matter. All that mattered was the flow of energy through his arm, and the swift, precise movement of the wand.

The broken glass stirred from its place on the floor, into a horizontal column of shifting, spinning shards. They sped towards the cloaked figure outside, and pierced him through the chest. For a moment he stood upright, held by the column, then he fell slowly to the ground. The glass, released from its hold, fell to the ground as fine dust, making the lightest of tinkles on the hard concrete.

He climbed over the table and approached the fallen man, breathing hard. On the way he stepped on the remains of the white mask, shattering it further. The face was framed by dark messy hair. On the forehead lay a jagged bleeding cut made by the glass. It felt familiar, this cut shaped like a lightning bolt, but he could not recognize it.

The dead man grinned up at him, with blank scarlet eyes, past shattered glasses. The blood from the lightning bolt cut dripped slowly down one side of the face.

He felt revulsion at his kill, his murder, an emotion so different than what he had felt before. He dropped his wand on top of the other man, and walked on, into the unknowing distance.

* * *

_**But I can't keep them safe with me**_

He walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked and walked, until he remembered.

Time wasn't real here, it wasn't second after second, but rather moment after moment. And in the next moment he was here, in this new memory of a dark room with an Archway in the center.

Dark and light battled in this room of Death itself. Red and green flew in every direction. But the figures were faceless, anonymous, and only one person stood out.

That man stood nearest to the Veil, and was laughing as he cast his spells. His dark hair was long and unkempt, but his eyes were bright with life.

His opponent was the opposite, her dead, dull eyes staring as she approached the man, blocking every spell. No emotion crossed her face as she cast her final spell.

He saw the green jet of light fly forward in slow motion. Saw it impact the laughing man, as he raised his arm up to taunt.

It seemed to take him an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch. And there was a look of mingled fear and surprise on that gaunt face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the Veil, which fluttered for a moment as though a high wind and then fell back into place.

None of the other figures moved, whether they were dressed in black or white. They simply stared towards the center.

He was rooted to the spot by the agony he felt at this person's death. This was someone he loved so deeply, that they had be important to him. A father, perhaps? Through the pain of loss came a voice, screaming for him to stop;

_He's dead, Harry! You can't help him now. Just listen to me Harry, Black is dead!_

The name filled him with a deep sadness, and love, and the feeling of family. This, he knew, was important.

This, he would remember.

* * *

_If the everlasting soul is changed, the mind and body must change also. A soul needs a container. A body depends on its brain. A mind will only be truly conscious with a soul for personality._

_Mankind is but a sum of its parts._

* * *

_**Nearer, nearer, dark surrounds me  
**__**Sensing things that cannot be.**_

_**I can't save the innocent,  
**__**But I can keep them safe with me.**_

* * *

A/N **I hope this was good. Please don't forget to leave a review. I don't have a beta, so this is the only way I can get feedback on plotholes and etc. I don't think I've ever seen Death as a Dementor, have you? (does HPMOR really count?)**

**Cookies if you can figured out why the Dementors disappeared in the first chapter.**


	3. Every Dream Dies

Disclaimer: .**rettoP yrraH ron YBWR rehtien nwo I**

* * *

**Chapter 3.**

**Every Dream Dies**

* * *

_**There's a day when the mind will be broken,**_

Midnight 1st January

Harry opened his eyes, and stared at the sky. It was a cold night, and he watched the clouds drift across the moon above him. A red-eyed crow flew overhead, cawing mournfully before disappearing into the dark.

He lifted his head off the ground carefully, looking around himself. The trees crowded thickly around his clearing, shielding the horizon from sight.

His face felt a little funny, but on the other hand, so did the rest of him, so he ignored that. What was really bugging him was not knowing where he was.

He tried to remember how he had actually got here.

Nothing_. (/death fear pain/)_

Panicking slightly now, he tried to remember the previous day.

_Nothing_.

Heart definitely beating faster than a few minutes ago, he tried to remember his name.

Harry? _(/tom?/)_

Fuck. Oh fuck. This wasn't good, not good at all. He couldn't remember anything, not his house address, not his friend's names, not even his own goddamned last name.

He tried to breathe deeply, to calm his rapidly beating heart. There was no use to panicking, he would remember something eventually. For now he needed to do something.

He stood up slowly and carefully, and inspected himself closer for any clues to his identity.

He was wearing some kind of black dress _(/combat robes/)_, and had a bejeweled sword in a scabbard on his hip and a thin holster of some sort on his wrist.

The holster contained only a stick, but when Harry drew it out of the holster and into his right hand, a warm, comforting sensation spread up his arm and into his head. It was a very reassuring feeling, and Harry decided that this stick was definitely important. He tried to make it do something _(/lumos/)_. Another funny feeling ran back down his arm, and travelled into the piece of wood.

The end of his stick slowly lit up brightly, and showed his surroundings a little better. Weirdly enough, this didn't surprise him much. He supposed the name of the stick would come to him later.

His face was really starting to itch, and when he reached up to scratch it, he found something else. Something hard was covering his forehead, and what's more, _he couldn't get it off._ He was sure, even with the distinct lack of memories, that he didn't used to have something superglued onto his face. He tried one last time at prying it off, but it was firmly stuck, hidden beneath his fringe. He sighed, and decided to ignore it for now. It was just another mystery in a day full of mysteries.

The moon was covered with clouds, and with this new illumination from his _(/wand/)_ stick, he could see that the leaves weren't green as he had expected, but a bright red. Even the tree trunks were dark red. Even the bloody grass was pink.

He chose a random direction and started walking, through the trees. He had to find somewhere safe to rest, and recover his memories.

Like they had sensed his presence, howls started sounding out of the forest in front of him. It appeared that this forest was populated by wolves, and by the sound of it, aggressive ones.

After an abrupt U-turn, Harry quickly found his way back to where he started, and noticed something odd. The grass was only flattened where he had lain, and where he had walked off. In every other direction, the grass was fresh and untrodden. Strange.

The howls started up again, and this time they were louder, and most definitely closer. Harry broke into a run, dodging around trees.

Suddenly, he broke out onto a path cut through the trees. Stretching out along the path, in both directions, were railway tracks.

At least he had found some sign of civilization. On the horizon to the left, he could see the bright green lights of a city, stretching high into the sky. He decided to continue running in that direction.

A few minutes later, several dark shapes emerged from where he had exited the forest. They howled at the moon, and started sprinting towards the bright lights on the horizon.

* * *

_**When the shadows will hunt you at night,**_

Red eyes opened as they felt the dark emotions.

A snout sniffed the air, sensing the traces of panic, terror, confusion, and most tangible of all, fear.

A bone mask, with scarlet channels that looked as if blood had ran down it, looked down upon its pack impassively.

"_Hunt._" it commanded them. Most of the young Grimm would die, if this was a Hunter, but the leader would survive. And if it wasn't a Hunter? Then the leader would have its fill of soul, young, bright, and terrified.

The seven other wolves began to howl. They ran towards the smell with young recklessness, yet to learn of the dangers of mankind.

Alone in the clearing, the Grimm stood on its hind legs, looking up at the clouded moon.

It howled_. _And the others of the pack responded_._

_"Death," _came the age old cry of Grimm. _"Death."_

* * *

**_And our wounds bleed a million drops,_**

Harry had made it less than hundred meters down the track before the moon suddenly came out of the clouds, and he looked over his shoulder.

The first thing he thought was that they didn't look like normal wolves. Their limbs were too long, and their heads too large. They were, just slightly, human-looking. Or maybe they were humans that looked too much wolves. Their red eyes were glowing in the moonlight. Definitely not a good sign.

The second thought of course was, "Oh fuck". There were seven of the beasts, all sprinting towards him along the railway tracks, with hungry looks in their eyes.

He clearly couldn't outrun them, so he skidded to a stop, pointing his stick, wand? at the rapidly approaching animals. He also took out his sword in his left hand, as a sort of afterthought. For some reason, he felt a lot safer pointing his wand, yeah definitely wand, at the beasts, rather than his sword. The sword was just too shiny and decorative to be taken seriously. Harry had the feeling that it wasn't really meant for battle.

_(/nox/)_ The light went out on the wand, and he felt his arm move through no conscious volition of his own. He struggled against it without success, and his arm draw a symbol in the air regardless.

_(/reducto/)_

Instinctively, he pushed forward, channeling energy through the wand. A hot feeling passed through his arm and a symbol formed in the air. It coalesced into a bolt of red and shot towards the pack.

The laser managed to hit the lead wolf-thing with a bang, and it collapsed face first into the dirt, a large chunk missing from its neck. Harry gaped at the stick in his hand, and waved it randomly, trying to make it shoot the laser again.

This time, the symbol was random, wobbly, and weirdly enough, yellow. With a loud bang, it exploded and sent him flying backwards.

He landed on his back, rolling several times, and the sword was sent flying from his other hand, sliding along the tracks till it stopped a couple of meters behind him.

He moaned, coughed a couple of times, then rolled over and got back to his feet.

The wolves were only seconds away from him now, unconcerned about the loss of their friend. Harry stumbled backwards to collect his sword from where it had fallen. It would be more useful to him in a close combat situation.

His left hand grabbed the hilt and he swung it round, just managing to block a swipe from the first wolf, the force of which sent him skidding backwards again, thankfully pushing him away from the other wolves attacks.

He felt something take control of his arm again, but this time he didn't struggle. It waved his wand again, swishing and flicking, _(/leviosa/)_ and Harry pushed the energy through the wand again. The light feeling passed quickly, and he was rewarded when the glowing symbol, white this time, exploded, sending the wolf that had attacked him spinning through the air, and into a tree to the right, hard enough to impale it on a low-hanging branch.

Harry had no time to gape this time, and ducked the claws of another wolf creature. He slashed the sword at the wolf, and was surprised when the blade sliced cleanly through its outstretched arm. Maybe this sword wasn't just for show. It was definitely sharp.

The wolf didn't even seem to care about losing a limb, and lunged again. This time Harry cut through its neck, and it fell to the ground, dead.

There was, surprisingly, no blood. There was only a scarlet wound on its neck stump that matched the color of the grass around the fight.

While he was staring at the fresh corpse, he felt something slam into his right side. Another wolf had managed to sneak around him to catch him by surprise. Its claw ripped through his clothes and into his side.

Anger grew inside him without control, and took over. His whole body spun around, _(/sectumsempra/)_ and Harry pushed the energy hard through his wand. The wolf found itself cut as if by an invisible sword when the jet of yellow light hit it. Its throat and chest covered in deep wounds, it collapsed forward, its claws still bloody.

It wasn't him controlling the wand, he knew. Something else was doing it. It wasn't instinct, wasn't reflexes. Harry had control over the energy, but _It_ had control over the wand. And _It_ was angry.

A large gash had been cut through his robes, and Harry could feel blood soaking his right side.

He dared not break eye contact with three beasts left, each looking slightly more wary now that he had killed more than half of them. Harry started backing away from them, slowly. He knew he was just walking back into the forest, where the wolves would have the advantage, but at least all of them were in front of him now. He wouldn't get surprised again.

Harry's back hit a tree, and he stopped, staring at the wolves. The wound on his side was really starting to hurt, and he would need medical attention for it, or at the very least, a tetanus shot.

The wolves kept approaching, and he waved his wand in a feeble attempt to ward them off. This time Harry tried a simple symbol, a triangle.

A jet of water managed to spray one of them in the face, leaving it soaked.

"Oh, come on." Harry grumbled, preparing his sword. A noise from above distracted him, and he looked up. Above him growled the wolf that he had sent flying. Apparently it had survived being impaled, but was stuck hanging upside-down on the branch. Its mouth, with its sharp teeth, were too far away for it to bite him, but also too far for him to finish it off.

One of the wolves took this moment of distraction to leap at him, and Harry, caught by surprise, stuck out his wand, and yet again, cast something with an involuntary movement _(/protego/)_. His energy flowed through the wand, making the symbol green, and Harry made sure to remember it and the energy he pushed through so that he could could cast these symbols on purpose later.

The lunging wolf was bisected by the transparent green shield that sprung from the glowing symbol. It completely surrounded Harry, even passing through the tree behind him. The unfortunate wolf above him, after being impaled by a branch, was finally killed when the bubble decapitated it.

As the other wolves began circling around the shield, Harry kicked the wolves fallen head in anger not his own.

He had no control over this battle. He could only react in ways he had no control over. He knew the shield wouldn't last forever. The wolves would come in, and even if he killed them, he would still succumb to his wound without help.

He tried to put pressure on it, but it was bleeding profusely, probably because of his frantic wand-waving. The blood loss was really becoming quite high, and he was starting to feel dizzy.

The two remaining wolves were still circling, and had been joined by one more, which was quite a bit bigger, by three or four feet. The newcomer also had a white mask as well as white protrusions from its back, which Harry found quite odd, until he realized that they were made from bone.

It slowly approached him, walking strangely on its back legs. It reached out one claw and tapped the shield. When nothing adverse happened, it punched the shield. Harry felt his knees wobble slightly, as something inside him grew tighter.

The other wolves started hammering on the shield too, standing on their hind legs. His strength was sapping away at every blow. The emerald shield was flickering, and it wouldn't be long before it collapsed.

Harry stood up straighter, one hand pressing on his wound, the other clutching the hilt of the sword in a tight grip. He would go down fighting _(/no/)_. They would not kill him _(/i will not die/)_.

The emerald shield flickered once more, and vanished.

* * *

_**Hope will shine bright.**_

Ozpin allowed himself to relax into his chair. The school year was finally over, as of midnight, and a new year had started. The Hunters-in-training had been sent home, back to communities that would benefit from the extra knowledge and training learned.

He sat here, at a desk he had inherited from his predecessor many years ago. It was stained brown in places where someone *cough* Oobleck *cough* had spilt coffee, and was, thank the gods, completely clear of paperwork.

The moon was the only source of light, carefully reflected off mirrors above him, through the clockwork that powered the beacon after which the school was named. It had not gone out in over five hundred years, and would continue for as long as Hunters trained here.

The office held large windows, overlooking the city of Vale, the very center of the four Kingdoms. This view wasn't just for aesthetic, but to always remind the Headmaster of his duty to protect and train those who would in turn protect the very citizens of this great city.

Ozpin sometimes thought this view was the hardest part of being headmaster. But then he met the newest students, and that idea flew out of his head straight away. They were just so damn nosy. And... innocent. Luckily, he had someone else to take care of them.

The Deputy Head Amber Pamby was in her own office, working on the applicants for next year. The talent scouts had spotted several students that would be receiving letters soon.

And this year was promising to be a good one, simply because the talent was set to outstrip the other years by a considerable amount.

On the downside, the other kingdoms were also showing signs of increasing skills amongst their freshmen. Atlas were testing out their new A.I. programs, Vacuo were grouping their teams in even tighter Elemental controls, and Mistral had a mysterious secret weapon which they definitely weren't telling him about. And of course, the Vytal festival was to be held in Mistral this year, giving him the opportunity to test his students against the other schools.

The next year would surely be giving him a headache.

Ozpin frowned when his Scroll flashed at him. He picked it up and inspected the alert. Someone had been detected in Forever Fall, which was peculiar, as all the students had already left.

He pulled up the Aura detection program on his main computer, and sure enough, someone was triggering the alarms just outside the walls.

Ozpin sighed. Just as he was relaxing with a good hot cup of coffee. The headmaster's job never really ended, did it?

He picked up his cane, and after a seconds thought, picked up his coffee too. Whoever had landed themselves in trouble in the forest had better have a good explanation.

He took the elevator down from his tower, then strode quickly towards the north exit. Within a few minutes, he was walking down the Atlas train tracks.

According to his scroll, the person should be in sight soon. Ozpin could see flashes of light and noise ahead. A red flash, a loud bang, white light, then a solid green glow. It looked like someone was having a heated Dust battle.

He was surprised when he only saw three Beowolves hammering on a translucent green shield. He was expecting something more, even if one of the Grimm looked more experienced, judging by the bone protrusions. He supposed most of the Beowolves were already dead, but even so, a Hunter at primary level should have killed unmasked Beowolves without breaking a sweat.

He was close enough now to see the person, within their strange green shield. A youth with messy black hair, and a dark cloak. He was holding a sword in one hand and clutching his side with the other.

Ozpin was shocked to see blood running over his hand. Why wasn't he healing himself? Had his Aura run out? But he was powering the shield somehow, probably by Semblance.

Just as the shield fell, and the boy collapsed, Ozpin ran in and quickly killed two of the Grimm. They were obliterated in mere seconds, sliced in two. He would have killed the third Grimm if he wasn't more preoccupied with the collapsed child. It ran upon seeing him, obviously smart enough to recognise the headmaster.

He knelt down by the child, and placed his hands on the wound. He wasn't very good at healing others, but he could at least stop the worst of the bleeding. After a few minutes of channelling his Aura, he removed his bloodstained hands and called the school on his Scroll.

Help would arrive in less then a minute. Ozpin stared down at the boy. Now he really wanted an explanation. He picked up his mug of coffee again, not caring about the blood on his hands.

The mysteries only deepened when he looked closer. The sword hilt contained crystals, not Dust, but ordinary ones, and looked like it was made of gold. Not the best of materials, too heavy and malleable.

It didn't look like it was expandable, but Ozpin didn't let that fool him. Plenty of weapons were becoming increasingly hidden. It did seem a little flashy though.

What was more interesting was clutched in the teen's other hand. A wooden stick. Not one broken off a tree, but lovingly made, polished and waxed. It had a completely smooth surface, no unfolding parts, only a handle. It looked like some sort of Aura focus, which would explain the shield, if not the lack of healing.

Not enough people liked using Aura manipulation. It was much too tricky, too fiddly. Without practice, it would blow you up more than the enemy. And if you lost your weapon, it was almost impossible to readjust to a new one.

Ozpin might just be looking at a new student, even if it was just for the unique style. It could be the twist Vale needed to defeat the other kingdoms in the school tournaments.

The last thing Ozpin noticed on the young boy was something poking out from under his fringe. It looked almost like... bone.

He bent down and brushed away the teen's hair, revealing more of the mask.

It covered most of his forehead, coming to a point in the very center, and was white with one red, jagged crack splitting it directly in half. It spread up through his hair and into his scalp, merging with the skin at some point above his hairline.

Ozpin didn't understand how something like this could be possible without extreme pain. The mask would have had to have been _melted_ onto his face, and why? To look like a Grimm?

He supposed he would have to ask the boy when he woke up. For now though, he would content himself with trying to find where the boy had come from.

* * *

**_There's a day when the mind will be broken,_**  
**_When the shadows will hunt you at night._**

**_And our wounds bleed a million drops,_**  
**_Hope will shine bright._**

* * *

A/N **I preferred the older versions of the Beowolf (the ones in the Red trailer) rather then the new versions. By the way, all of my chapters and their titles will involve poems that are allusions/parodies? of the RWBY soundtrack.**

**One last thing, the reason I dedicated this to Monty Oum, is that even though I was planning this for a few months before he died, I don't think I was ever serious about publishing this. When I found out he had died, I decided to just do it. Just write the story, and be creative in his memory.**


	4. Just A Child

Disclaimer:** I can't wait for Season 3 to come and ruin all my headcanon. (Future Me:_ It did_). But seriously, I can't wait for the next installment of RWBY. Especially the soundtrack.**

* * *

**Chapter 4.**

**Just A Child**

* * *

**_They found you as torn as paper_**

Headmaster Ozpin sat in an uncomfortable metal chair in the medical room of Beacon, staring intently at its only patient. This room was small, as injuries to be either extreme or negligible. Extreme injuries, like loss of limbs, would be sent to an actual hospital, and smaller injuries could be healed by Aura. Broken bones, burnt skin? Pshaw. So the wing was only for people to get bandaged up while their Aura healed them. Or in some cases, like this one, while they recovered from totally depleting their Aura.

The mysterious boy slept in the hospital bed opposite Ozpin's seat. It was in fact, the only bed in the place. The walls were painted the sort of light yellow color that was the universal paint of hospitals, and a few medical posters hung on the wall. Light shined in from a wide window on the wall.

The boy mumbled, clawed the sheets for a second, and turned over. He hadn't woken yet, which was strange. His Aura would have woken him up by now, the sensors showing that it had recharged to the point where the patient should have recovered. His wound had been healed up nicely, and he no longer needed bandages, but still, he did not wake. A doctor had come to check whether he was faking unconsciousness, and proclaimed that the boy was totally healthy, except for the growth, as he described it, on his forehead. That, the doctor had said, was something completely out of his field of study.

A woman entered the room, holding a mug of coffee in one hand, and holding her Scroll in the other. She wore dark green shades, and an emerald green dress. White buttons ran down both sides of the front of her dress, and her collar extended up over her shoulders. A small top hat, a much lighter green than the dress, was placed carefully on top of her neat brown hair.

This woman was Amber Pamby, the Deputy Headmistress at Beacon. And she was currently a little perplexed about the situation.

She handed the mug of coffee to Ozpin, who graciously accepted it and had a small sip. She unrolled the Scroll, and carefully considered the words written there.

"We still have no idea who this boy is." she said curtly, "No missing reports of his description. There are no people in Vale of his age training in Aura manipulation."

Ozpin nodded gently, still sipping at his cup. "What about the other kingdoms?"

"I've received a reply from my counterparts at both Atlas and Vacuo stating that they haven't had any Aura trainees reach secondary level for at least a decade. Mistral still hasn't replied, but I doubt he's from there. He would have crossed the ocean, and there would be a record of that."

She rolled up the Scroll, apparently finished with the information.

Ozpin contemplated the view outside the window. There was a plain lawn with a statue in the middle. Just another of the many paths around Beacon. He sighed.

"Do we still have spots available for this year?"

Amber frowned, confused. "Yes... " It dawned on her."Wait, are you seriously considering letting him join?" She gestured at the sleeping boy, who groaned, as if hearing her.

"I'm sure he would make a fine addition to our students."

Amber seemed to grow red. "Fine addition?" she spluttered, "_Fine addition_? He was wounded fighting Beowolves, for Grimm's sake!"

This was Beacon, for the best and brightest! Not somewhere that anyone with a Dust infused stick could join.

Ozpin gave her a tight glare. He seemed to be reprimanding her with his gaze.

"He's a mystery, Amber. And it's easier to keep mysteries in our sight. Plus, an Aura manipulator could be our ace in the hole against the other kingdoms."

Amber seemed to swell a little. "And if we did let him join? Who would we pair him with? It would have to be someone who has a good grasp of Aura."

"Have we assigned Miss Branwen a partner yet?"

She spluttered for the second time in as many minutes. "Branwen? The Dust experimenter? Do you want the whole school blown up? You know what happens when Aura manipulators and Dust experimenters team up."

Ozpin regarded her. He had finished his coffee, and the mug was resting on the table beside him.

"I think it would be a good idea." he said in a light tone.

"No." Amber said promptly, "It wouldn't. If you find out that he's actually good at Aura, which I doubt, then we can take him. Until then, I am not even considering putting him on the list."

She stormed out of the room.

Ozpin sighed. He stared at the boy, who turned over again. He hoped that the young Hunter would be worth the trouble.

* * *

**_See the world through brand new eyes_**

Harry opened his eyes blearily to find himself looking at a new sight. Again. He really had to stop waking up in unknown locations. This time he was in what seemed to be a hospital room, except that it was quite small, though it did have a high ceiling.

Sunlight was streaming through the large window on one of the walls, and it illuminated the room brightly. He was surprised that he had actually slept through that amount of light. He could see a smooth lawn outside with a statue on it. An uncomfortable-looking chair and a small chest of drawers were the only other furniture in here, apart from his bed.

The room actually looked more like a school sick room than a hospital room. A few posters even hung on the walls, but instead of saying 'You and Your Body' or something like that, they were titled 'You and Your Aura'.

What would he be doing in a school? He tried to remember. The bloody fight came to his mind, and especially its ending. He had been wounded pretty badly, but apparently not bad enough to warrant anything more than a school sickbay.

He sat slowly upright, stretching sore muscles, and checked under his new white shirt and found that his left side was left with barely a scar. He prodded the area. It didn't even twinge. Maybe he had been asleep for longer than he had thought.

Had the attack really just happened last night? And his memories still hadn't come back. All that he had was the dream he had been having. He frowned, trying to remember it. Flashy lights, flickering shadows, and... A deep sense of loss. A loss of what? Loss of his life from before waking up in a forest and being attacked by rabid mutant wolves?

How had he even got there in such a state? He hadn't been injured, no head wounds or pains. Just waking up in an empty, untouched clearing, like he had fallen from the sky. And who exactly was he?

He was a fighter obviously. His instincts were honed, and even without his memory, the thing inside his mind had got him through the fight relatively unscathed. It seemed to be used to his wand, but he wasn't too great with a sword, but could use it in his left hand well enough.

And speaking of his weapons, where were they? The only thing big enough to store his sword was a chest of drawers against the wall, next to the only seat.

However, before he could get off his bed to inspect it, someone entered the room. The first thing Harry noticed about her was her outfit. It was very, very green. Only the buttons on her coat weren't a shade of green, and they were an off-white. Her heels clicked across the marble tiles.

She peered at him over her green square sunglasses, and seemed a little relieved to see him sitting up. Harry noticed she even had light green lipstick!

"Oh good. You're awake." she said in a icy sort of voice. "I will fetch the Headmaster."

And she spun around and left, before Harry could even say a word. As she left, he noticed something that stunned him enough that he didn't even try to call her back. A pike of some sort was attached diagonally across her back. The pole was short, but the blade looked vicious.

This strange weapon distracted him enough that he forgot about getting his own weapons.

He was definitely in a school, judging by the fact that she was getting the Headmaster, but what sort of school required teachers with weapons?

He peered out the window again. Beyond the statue, he could see some archways and pillars. It must be a pretty posh school. For warriors maybe?

He swung his legs over the side of his bed, and found that he was still wearing his jeans from the previous day, albeit washed and cleaned of all the blood. He walked unsteadily to the chest, and opened it. Inside was his sword and wand, along with their respective sheathes. The tattered remains of his shirt was also in there, bloodstained and ripped. The black cloak only had one small tear, which Harry would probably be able to fix.

He put his belt back on, and slid the sword back into its sheath. His hand paused over his wand, and he looked at it in the proper light. The handle was made of a pale wood, while the other part, the blade, was slightly darker, like it had been evenly burned over a fire.

He picked it up, and felt the rush of energy flow out from it, and rush up his arm. It felt soothing and exciting at the same time. His pulse raced, but his mind was calm. He reveled in the beautiful feeling for some while.

He suddenly whirled around at the sound of the footsteps behind him.

A man had entered the room, with light silver hair and a pair of round brown spectacles perched on his nose. He had a green scarf wrapped around his neck, with a small cross keeping it pinned there. He held a grey cane with a smooth white handle in one hand, and a mug of steaming coffee in the other.

Harry realized that he was now crouched and pointing his wand at the man. "Uh... S-sorry." He stammered, immediately lowering the wand.

The man only smiled and raised an eyebrow at him, and sat in the only available chair, leaving Harry to walk back over to the bed.

They stared at each-other for a few seconds. Harry noticed that the man's eyes were a brown color that were exactly the same shade as his glasses.

Finally, the man broke the silence. "My name is Professor Ozpin," he stated, "and you are currently in Beacon Academy. I saved you from Beowolves in the Forever Fall Forest, but you did take quite a beating. Your Aura was completely depleted, and you had a moderate flesh wound on your side. "

Harry just stared at him, confused. All those terms, 'Beacon', 'Beowolves', 'Aura', they all meant nothing to him, but Ozpin sounded like Harry should know what he was talking about. Beowolves, he decided, was probably the name of those strange human-like wolves. And Aura was on the posters on the walls.

Ozpin continued, seemingly not noticing his bewildered face. "We healed you up, and then let you rest in peace for a while. We did grow a bit worried when you didn't wake up on the first day, so I'm glad you're up now."

Ozpin leveled his gaze at Harry, and calmly took a sip of his coffee.

"So, who are you? We have no records of you, and no-one has been reported missing."

Harry gulped. How did he explain who he was, when he didn't even know who he was? Start small, he thought.

"I'm Harry."

Ozpin quirked an eyebrow. "Just Harry?" he asked with a small smirk.

Harry looked down at his lap, and mumbled "I can't remember my last name."

Ozpin leaned forward. He looked a little puzzled. The small amused smile had vanished. "Really? Why not?"

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "I can't remember anything but my first name. I woke up in the forest with my mind completely blank."

"You can't remember anything? Nothing at all?" Harry wasn't surprised that the man was suspicious.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Not even my birthday."

"But I saw you fighting in the forest." proclaimed Ozpin suddenly. "That shield would have needed some very precise Aura manipulation."

Again with the unfamiliar terms. "I don't know! It was something else, unconscious thought. I just don't know!" Harry was growing angry. He was almost shouting. "What part of that don't you understand?"

He had stood up, teetering on his unsteady feet. "All I have is my name, a sword and my wand."

Ozpin raised his hands, as if in mock surrender, and Harry realized he was pointing his wand at him again. He hadn't even felt his hand move.

He sat back down heavily on the bed. His heart was pumping fast, and he was breathing heavily. He felt moisture on his face, and he lifted a hand to find a tear running down his face. He reached higher and felt the edge of the thing on his face.

"And this-this thing." he spat. "This thing, stuck to my face. What is it?"

He tried desperately to pry it off, and Ozpin, who had remained calm and seated during his outburst, suddenly spoke up.

"Please stop."

Harry did as he was told, albeit reluctantly.

"We did try to take the mask off you, Harry, but we couldn't. Our healer said that it was actually a solid manifestation of your Aura. It's not actually removable. It's a part of you."

Harry let his arms drop from his cheek. "What is this 'Aura' you keep talking about?" he said in exasperation.

Ozpin blinked at him. Evidently this had not been the question he had been expecting. He sat back down and tapped his cane thoughtfully.

"An Aura is..." He paused and started from the beginning. "Aura is the manifestation of the soul in our lives. It can used in a variety of ways, as a shield, or healing yourself, or even in the fighting arts. However, this part of your Aura seems to have become..." Ozpin paused again.

"Stuck." he concluded. "It has caused itself to continually cycle into the appearance of your mask. Yet somehow, it doesn't seem to be connected with the rest of your Aura at all. Even when your Aura was completely depleted, the mask remained. And that is very strange indeed."

Ozpin's face grew grave. "Not many can project their Aura to the extent that it becomes solid material. An invisible repelling force is the average goal of a Hunter. Protection against bullets, blades and Beowolves, as the saying goes. An actual object with mass is magnitudes harder than just negating forces. Though, one of our current students can project a solid object for two minutes straight before she became exhausted."

"But how do I get it off me?" Harry was desperate. He just wanted to know how to get rid of the damned thing.

Ozpin shook his head. "Only you can remove it. No-one else has the power to change your soul."

The mysterious boy sunk his head into his hands. "What do I do now?" he said despairingly. His black hair fell neatly over his hands.

Ozpin was thinking furiously. This situation was going the complete opposite of how he had imagined it. Harry was definitely a fighter, at least at primary level, but it would take a while to get him back to his previous state. He couldn't even remember about Aura, and by extension Aura manipulation. He must have a fair amount to be able to fight with about an eighth of his Aura focused on maintaining his mask.

Ozpin came to a decision. After all, he still had a month before term started again.

He stood up and stepped over to where Harry was sitting. He placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and bent down to his level, and Harry lifted his head to stare into Ozpin's. Ozpin stared back into his bright, emerald ones, full of a terrible loss.

"I want you to join my school."

"What?" Harry exclaimed, taken aback. "Why?" He was clearly a little suspicious.

Ozpin straightened up and smiled warmly at him. "You have a unique skill with Aura, as I saw in the forest, and my school is the premier school in all of Vale. Here, you can hone your techniques until you can become a Huntsman." He said this last part with an obvious level of pride. "And I will allow you to stay here over the holidays." he added, as the boy would have nowhere else to live.

"And what exactly do Huntsmen do?" Harry asked quietly.

Ozpin held his cane in his hands. The white handle reflected the light in shimming patterns along the walls. He was contemplating the question. Another mark of how much knowledge the boy had lost. Every man, woman and child on Remnant knew what the Hunters did for them.

"We fight the monsters. We fight to uphold the peace. We fight for a better world for tomorrow."

Harry's face seemed bright, but he still had questions to ask. "Really? Aren't there any tests I have to pass?"

Ozpin sighed. This was the one tricky bit. "There is one initiation test, and you will also have to prove to me and my deputy that you are worthy of an invitation to the test itself. Personally, I would invite you in a heartbeat, but alas, my deputy is not so convinced of your skills."

Harry nodded, understanding. Ozpin stood up and gathered his empty mug from the cabinet.

"I am going to fetch Miss Pamby, the deputy headmistress." The head master started towards the door.

"I have to prove it now?" Harry said in panicked horror. Ozpin knew what Harry was thinking.

_''I can't do it now! What can I do to impress them?'_

Every applicant selected through non-school channels had thought exactly that. Ozpin had had the very same mental process when he had been accepted into Beacon.

He turned around to face Harry's shocked face, and decided to say the exact same thing the previous Headmaster had said to him.

"A true Hunter is always prepared." And with that, he was gone, cane tapping along the marble tiles.

* * *

_**Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon break free**_

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Ozpin strode down the corridor, his cane tapping the hard marble floor regularly. He was thinking about the decision he had just made. The boy claimed he had memory loss, which was unlikely, but not impossible. Would he be a danger to the other students? it would depend.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Aura manipulation by instinct alone? That was almost impossible. Fighting by instinct, without any memory whatsoever, would be suicidal. There was an old fairy tale about a man shattering the moon with nothing but his Aura, and Ozpin didn't doubt that it was possible. There was always a little truth in fairy tales. Ozpin himself had seen firsthand the sort of damage it could cause, though not quite moon-shattering of course. Maybe the memory loss itself had been caused by an Aura accident. That would explain a lot. And the Aura mask too? But something inside him had to be controlling the Aura, by subconscious thought or instinct.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

What would he do if someone turned up and claimed the boy? Unlikely, given no one had reported him missing in the first place, but still...

Tap.

Was he from outside the kingdoms?

Tap.

From the forbidden southern lands?

Tap.

And what if the boy was lying...?

Thud.

Ozpin looked up from his thinking and found he had finally reached the central spire. The floor here was wooden, and very old. He turned right at the bottom of the stairs, and entered Amber's office.

She was still working on the applicants for next year, and the piles of papers had shrunk considerably. She looked up at him as he entered. "Any luck on questioning the boy?" she asked amiably.

"Sort of." Ozpin replied slowly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Sort of?" she asked, suspicious.

"The boy, uh 'Harry', has..." Ozpin hesitated, "Amnesia."

Amber stood up quickly. "What?! He has what?" Her face had turned into the scary one, normally the one she reserved for Oobleck when he spilt coffee on her paperwork. "A Hunter with amnesia?! You cannot be serious? No way are we accepting him. He would be a danger to the other students!"

"Please Amby," Ozpin pleaded, using her old nickname. "He has potential. Just give him the chance to prove it."

Amber crossed her arms. "Fine" she said grumpily, "But if he blows up anything important, he's out. Deal?"

Ozpin sighed. "Deal." he agreed.

They began the walk back to the school sickbay together. Ozpin really hoped that Harry had something good to show her.

* * *

Harry had _nothing_. Zilch. Nada. His mind was pretty blank, even for an amnesiac.

Nothing came to him miraculously. No sudden ideas. _Well then_, he decided, _I just have to wing it._ Every other symbol had been cast by something else, and when he had tried to force it, he had only blown himself up, which probably wouldn't look so good. He could try the shield, but that wouldn't be too impressive.

He twirled his wand around his fingers a couple of times in tense anticipation. Where were the Headmaster and the deputy?

He poked his head out the door. No-one was in sight.

He tried to distract himself from the impending situation by trying to remember the dream he had been having. Was there...fire? There had definitely been fire. What had happened? Was there a fight? There was screaming, flashes of light, and... a figure.

His wand had been pointed at a figure held up by a column of glass, blood dripping down his face. The image stayed with Harry longer than the others that he had dredged up. He must have done this, ended this life with his wand. He could almost feel himself casting it.

_It was just a dream_, he hoped desperately. But it wasn't, and deep down, he knew it.

But enough of that. He could hear the footsteps approaching. Ozpin and the green-clad lady entered the room. Ozpin gestured at her. "This is Deputy Headmistress Amber Pamby."

"Um." Harry gulped and bowed his head. "Good morning Deputy Pamby."

She just raised an eyebrow at him. Then she turned to Ozpin, completely ignoring Harry.

"We will probably need to be outside for this, especially if something goes wrong." She said, a little rudely in Harry's opinion.

Ozpin sighed and gestured out the door. She strode out, and Ozpin took this moment to whisper to Harry. "Don't worry, she's only putting on an act. She usually nicer than this."

Harry was feeling a little relived, up until Ozpin added "Admittedly, not much nicer."

They both followed her to a door nearby which opened up into the lawn that was outside the sickroom window. The statue was here too, and now Harry could see who it was actually of. A man and a woman were standing on an outcropping of rock, and a Beowolf stood underneath, snarling up into the warm spring sky.

It was rather a strange statue, but back to the matter at hand.

"If you would, Mister... Harry." He could tell that she really wanted to address him by his last name, but was stopped by the fact that he didn't actually have one. She was standing behind him, next to Ozpin who was leaning on his cane. He turned back to them, and the headmaster gave him a small nod.

He was standing in the middle of the lawn, with the statue a few meters in front of him. His wand was clutched in one hand as he tried to think of something to do. And it came to him.

The glass trick from his dream! He just needed to focus on the wand movements. He lifted his wand up, and tried to funnel his energy into the wand. He could feel it coming, it was working...

The light flashed on his wand and he felt the energy surge through his arm. No! It was too early. He had released the energy without a scaffold, hadn't even begun to draw the symbol yet.

To his right, the sickroom window smashed outwards, as if an explosion had happened inside. He winced. Not good.

The glass had sprayed over the lawn in small shards. Then he realized that he actually needed the glass for his spell. That misfire was probably for the best. He hoped Miss Pamby hadn't marked him down for that.

He risked a glance back, and she didn't look at all impressed. She was talking quietly to Ozpin, who was looking disappointed.

He pointed the wand again, this time relaxing the flow of energy. He remembered back to the dream, and started moving his hand gently. To the left, than diagonally down.

The shards began to flow over the ground, making clinking noises as they collided together. He tried to focus on the tip of the wand, glowing gently. He lifted it upwards and the glass started to build up into one large pile in front of him. They built a pillar of shifting twirling shards.

He pushed the energy forward into his wand, and the column lifted into the air. The lines left in the air collapsed inwards. That part wasn't in his dream. There wasn't a glowing gold symbol before.

The column was glittering as each shard caught the light and reflected it. Harry was elated. This was beautiful. He moved his wand from side to side, and the glass swirled, like a ribbon in the wind.

A small cough sounded from behind him, and he nearly dropped the glass. He had somehow forgotten the deputy.

"Can you show us a little more?" The normally icy voice sounded rather choked.

Harry knew just what to do. He narrowed his eyes and pushed forward on his wand. The shifting glass sped directly towards the statue. At the last second, Harry decided to hit the Beowolf rather than the humans. Probably better that way.

The glass bounced off or slid past the stone creature, reforming behind it. He sliced his wand again, and the glass hit the statue again, scratching the surface. Again and again, taking out every frustration he had on the inanimate beast, until a soft voice distracted him.

"Enough." Harry turned, and the glass dropped to the grass, some shards ground down to dust.

Ozpin had taken a step forward. The deputy was writing into some sort of holographic clipboard. Harry was breathing heavily, tired from the display. "Did I pass?" He asked hopefully.

The deputy looked at him, and smiled warmly, a very different one to the tight lipped smile she had given earlier. "With flying colors. I just need a last name to fully complete the invitation." She had her pen hovering expectantly over the clipboard.

Harry hesitated. He didn't know his last name.

He thought back to his dream. The glass trick had proved the dream was real, his only true memory. Somewhere, he had killed others, he had fought battles, he had been at war. Somewhere there was a home waiting for him, maybe burned to ashes, maybe devoid of people, but still his home.

He thought further into the dream, discovering a sense of longing and loss. A name. A name that had been inextricably associated with death. He would take it as his own, to cling onto those scraps of his past he could remember.

"My name is Black. Harry Black."

_For, if all that is left of his past is darkness, why should he not take Black as his name?_

* * *

**_They found you as torn as paper,  
See the world through brand new eyes,  
Surprise when they find out that a warrior will soon break free._**

* * *

A/N **I hope you enjoyed that. Again, response and feedback is the best remedy for bad writing. Leaving a review is the best way for me to fix anything I missed.**

**Deputy Amber Pamby is based on Omby Amby, the Soldier with the Green Whiskers in the Wizard of Oz books. Did you know there was a whole series of Oz books? I certainly didn't.**


	5. Your Finest Hour

Disclaimer: **The owner of Harry Potter might be a Jo, but not this one.**

* * *

**Chapter 5:**

**Prepare For Your Finest Hour**

* * *

**_Wake up from a time of magic_**

3rd January

Finally, Harry woke up somewhere he actually recognized. The third time's the charm.

After his 'test', if you could call it that, he had been given a room down the hallway from the sickbay. He had been given a short tour of the school by the slightly friendlier Miss Pamby, and then moved his meagre possessions into the new room. It was a bit smaller than the sickbay, but at least it had a proper bed and lavatory. The walls were painted white and were sparse, no paintings or wall decorations. Amber explained that this was because it was a spare professor's room, and as such, had never been used.

At dinner, a simple affair, Ozpin explained to him that the teachers at the school didn't actually live there, but lived in the city of Vale or else worked outside the city, fighting Grimm, hence the many spare rooms.

Deputy Pamby had a different personality from the open Ozpin. She presented a strict and controlled appearance. She hardly spoke to Harry, and left early to 'finish her important paperwork'.

Ozpin had left with her, citing paperwork as the reason as well. Harry had the feeling that a lot of the paperwork was probably because of him.

Random person appearing? Probably not so difficult. Dump them on the local authorities or something.

Enrolling said person into your prestigious school without prior training? Definitely going to take some explaining.

He woke late the next morning, yet again sleeping through the bright sunlight streaming through the window. He found his way back down to the kitchens and cooked himself some breakfast. He also found an entire pantry filled with coffee powder for some reason. He had a cup of tea instead.

He wandered about the school after breakfast. There was a lot he hadn't seen on the tour with Deputy Pamby. She had showed him the auditorium, the helipad (without any hover jets, or 'Bullheads' as they were called), and dormitories, but he hadn't seen much else.

Now, he had decided to explore the stone pathways of Beacon. He walked under tall archways, sat beneath shady ancient trees, and climbed the western tower to simply look out at this new world. He wasn't scared of the height at all.

He could see all the lands around Beacon from up here. The city of Vale lay on the west side of the school. It looked like a very confused, mixed city, with small shops next to multi-story residential buildings, with high wide motorways or narrow cobbled streets winding in-between. Vale looked very much like it had been built over past versions of itself as technology marched unstoppably forwards. A few blimps floated lazily through the sky above, circling like vultures.

A river ran directly through the city, due west and beyond Vale and into the sea. A few boats floated on the still waters of the bay, the shimmering waves a brilliant turquoise blue.

On the northern side, the school was bordered by a maroon forest, where Harry had mysteriously appeared. The leaves were a deep red, and train tracks cut through a path in the forest, from the city far out and over the horizon.

On the opposite side, the south, were more forests, leaves golden yellow in color. The sight felt the most warming to Harry, as he watched the light shine and reflect off the leaves. There was what looked like a settlement a little way off.

Finally, to the east were the Beacon cliffs, overlooking the last forest. Here, the leaves were a normal green color, and the borders between the three forests were clearly visible. Green clashed with red on one side, and yellow on the other, as they seemed to battle for space. The sun rose up from this direction, bright and warm.

It was funny that the city of Vale was surrounded on all sides by four separate colors. Forests of red, yellow, green and then finally bordered in the west by the deep blue ocean.

This was where Ozpin found Harry Black, sitting upon the balustrade at the top of the western spire of Beacon, wind rippling through his hair. Harry didn't even notice that he was there until Ozpin sat down next to him, upon which he started with surprise and almost fell off his perch.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" said Ozpin, after Harry steadied himself.

Harry nodded silently, focusing again on the stunning view.

"The yellow forest is the Spring Forest, and the green is the Emerald Forest." Ozpin pointed to the forests as he named them. "And the red is, of course, the Forever Fall Forest, where I found you."

"How did you know where I was?" Harry asked, curious.

Ozpin waited a few lazy seconds, enjoying the cool breeze before replying. "The Aura tracking program. Since you were using your Aura outside the city walls, and you were almost directly next to Beacon, I was alerted. That was also how I found you just now too. Your mask uses Aura permanently, somehow cycling it forever. You will always show up on the tracker."

Harry lifted a hand to the mask. Another disadvantage caused by the thing. Last night he had tried to remove it by concentrating, by meditating, by focusing on it, all things the Headmaster had suggested, but nothing would get rid of it. It had stubbornly been there every time he had looked in the bathroom mirror, laughing at him, the jagged crack mocking him.

The sun rose continued to rise steadily through the sky, shining down upon Vale. After a while, Ozpin stood up and said "We begin our lessons today."

Harry glanced sharply up at him. "Lessons?"

"We can't have you going to Beacon without any knowledge at all, can we? So instead, I will have to teach you six years worth of information in less than a month."

"I'll skip most of the more useless stuff." added Ozpin in response to Harry's dumbfounded face.

Ozpin stood, and Harry followed him down the stairs and towards the tallest tower of Beacon. When he had decided on which tower to climb, Harry had noticed a strange device on top of this spire, so he opted instead for the lower, but emptier, western spire. The device was shaped like a cage. Bars were placed evenly around a jumble of different sized gears, which seemed to power or manipulate a set of green glowing orbs.

Harry pointed upwards at the spire. "What does that do?" He asked.

Ozpin chuckled. "That is the very beacon after which the school is named. It has been lit ever since Vale was founded, more than 560 years ago. The Headmaster's office is directly beneath it."

Harry realized that this must have been the green glow he had spotted and started to walk towards, before being attacked by the Beowolves. At least it worked as a beacon.

They turned right before they reached the spire, while Harry thought more about that statement. Vale was well over five hundred years old and the beacon was still burning? Er... Glowing? Either way, impressive. He supposed that it had been upgraded from an actual burning fire to the technological equivalent at some point.

After walking through the long hallways, they seemed to have reached their objective. Ozpin stopped in front of a set of double doors.

"This is the Library," he said, putting emphasis on the word, and pushed one door open.

Behind it lay ... The Library. It really did deserve the capital 'L'. Harry's jaw had dropped open without any prompt from his brain.

There must be thousands, if not tens of thousands of books in here. Bookshelves stretched upwards into the high ceiling, and every shelf was full. Tables stood to one side, presumably for students to study on. Large stained windows let light shine into the room, with sparkling motes of dust dancing in the beams, disturbed by their entrance.

A sliding ladder stretched upwards on the nearest bookshelf, upon which Ozpin gracefully climbed. Harry sat down at a table, finally snapping his jaw shut. Ozpin quickly returned with three books held in his hands.

"In our first lesson, we will learn the basic knowledge of what it is to be a a Hunter. There are the three main areas of knowledge you will need to know. The first:"

He placed a ginormous leather-bound book on the table. There was a crest in the middle, split into quarters, surrounding the ornate letter 'R'. Each quarter contained a different bone white mask. A feline face, a snake's fangs, a bird's sharp beak and a shark's toothy grin. The assorted animals all glared out at him with red eyes of malice.

"_Remnant: A Record_." Ozpin declared. Harry wasn't looking forward to reading this one.

"A record of the known history of our world, Remnant, as well as the popular myths and legends that have passed down through the generations from before the kingdoms were even founded. Famous Grimm and Hunter battles, folklore, fairy tales, wars, discrimination. Almost everything."

Ozpin placed a second book next to the first.

This one was really roughed up, in contrast to the immaculate first, but it was about half as thick. In some places it was even burned, or soaked in water. It looked like it had fought a war with a malfunctioning, flaming blender and lost. Had it been electrocuted at some point? Harry tried to read what was left of the title. The only word he could make out was 'Dust'. Around this title were four large symbols, visible through the damage. A red flame, a green plant, a blue drop of water, and a yellow feather.

"This is '_The Basics of Dust_', about the substance Dust, our most formidable weapon against the Grimm. Nature's Wrath, dangerous and powerful. Found in four different pure forms, it can be mixed in a near infinite amount of ways to produce everything from electricity to specialised ammunition."

Harry's eyes widened at the title when of the final book Ozpin placed in front of him.

It was much slimmer than its companions, and had only one word emblazoned in silvery cursive writing. It simply read, '_Aura_'.

This was a book on the mysterious Aura that was powering his mask. Ozpin had said that this force was powered by his very soul. If he was going to learn anything, he was going to learn this. It also helped that the book was a lot smaller than the others.

He placed a single hand upon it, then looked up at Ozpin.

The Headmaster nodded. "I had a feeling you would choose that book to read first. But be warned, Aura is mysterious, and you may find that you have more questions than answers when you have finished reading it."

"Tomorrow, we will discuss what you have learned."

He turned and left the library without another word, leaving Harry amongst the silent books. He flipped the book open to the first page, noting that no author, nor date of publication was listed, and started to read the introduction.

* * *

_**Prepare for a world of power**_

Introduction from _The Arts of Aura_

_What separates us from animals or plants?_

_What burns as our brightest light against our darkest enemies?_

_Why have our modern kingdoms risen up further than any known civilizations that have risen before?_

_The answer? Our soul. That is not to say that mankind before us lacked souls, but to say that we now have a way to utilize it. Used purely by itself or, more usually, in conjunction with Dust, the soul is a powerful force both in protection and in offense. This technique is simply called Aura. It is an art full of mysteries, impossibilities and contradictions that we have no hope of understanding. And yet, all Hunters will use it, and even children will know what Aura is._

_The first step in this now common art is to unlock your Aura. To do this, someone else must unlock it by using their own. This presents our first contradiction. If you need someone with an Aura to unlock your own, than how was the first Aura unlocked? Either a lucky person stumbled upon the secret accidentally and it had lain dormant in our body since mankind first rose from Dust, or something fundamental in the way our world works suddenly changed and Aura sprang into existence._

_If we assume the latter, then this spontaneous appearance of Aura must have happened around the time of the founding of the modern kingdoms, when humanity started to fight back against the Grimm, rather than just defend. Without Aura, mankind would still be lost, wandering around in groups too small to attract the attention of Grimm, but not large enough to defend against an attack if it happened._

_After unlocking, Aura can appear as a solid glow of color around the people undergoing the procedure. This is the only time it can be seen in its raw form. The procedure itself is quite simple, where one person lets his or her Aura flow into the others body, while keeping their mind as calm as possible. Interruptions can result in a deadlock of either person's Aura that, while not permanent, is extremely disconcerting to both parties. For information and details on this ritual, we recommend 'Unlocking the Soul' by Jones Arc, which contains more information and historical examples of interrupted procedures._

_From here, Aura can be used in many different ways. In defense, it can be used as a shield, stopping enemy's blades or bullets, or to heal cuts and bruises. Healing comes more naturally to the average Hunter, but the shield has to be practiced to reach full potential._

_In offense, Aura can be forced through a Dust to interact with the world. This is extremely tricky. Every individual's Aura is unique, and as such, we cannot predict exactly how each interaction will go. Using larger amounts of Dust will stabilize the effects exponentially, until they cross over the boundary into a zone of stability, where every mixture creates the same effect. These effects are manipulated by the type and mixture of the Dust used, thus making it a Dust-related art, not Aura related. In the zone of instability lies the true realm of the Aura manipulation. The less Dust, the more unpredictable and the more powerful._

_In neither offense nor defense, Aura can be used to push solid objects, using the miniscule amounts of Dust that infuse the world. This is extremely difficult, and must be practiced for years, on the same material, to be effective. Most Hunters will only use this to push minuscule switches inside their own weapons in order for it to change forms. Other Hunters prefer to move their weapon while simply keeping the hidden switch still, which is by far the easier method. It also has the benefit of using momentum to unfold the weapon, rather than a hydraulic system or an elastic force._

_With some Hunters now turning to crime, some criminals have used this method to escape traditional metal handcuffs, which led to the police changing over to electrical handcuffs with no moving parts._

_Why is it so much harder to push an object than it is to stop one? The forces involved are the same, yet creating a shield against a swinging blade is many times easier than pushing the unmoving blade back an inch. Aura may stop the fangs of a Grimm, but it cannot push them back again._

_Aura is full of these contradictions and rules. They are as unfathomable as the very nature of our souls, because they are, in fact, our souls. The color, the strength, the capacity of an Aura is always unique to the individual, just as every person themselves are unique._

_And with that, we finally come to Semblances, the part of Aura that differs with every individual. Semblances are the channeling of Aura without any Dust focus whatsoever. Even with shields, we are focusing our Aura on the miniscule amounts of Dust in the air. As such, Semblances are more powerful, but far more draining. The biggest downside is that they are unchangeable. Once a Semblance has been discovered, it cannot be altered, whether it is usable or not. Because of this reason, some Hunters may never use their Semblances in battle, channelling their Aura into more useful aspects like healing or shields._

_The Semblances themselves are usually unique, but seem to fall into three loose categories: Physical, Mental and Elemental._

_Physical means either changing or moving an already existing object, or else manifesting objects out of thin air. This is the most common category of Semblances._

_Mental Semblances usually affect the mind of the user or the enemy. It can range from a disorientating an enemy to spotting the weaknesses in a set of armor._

_The last category, Elemental, is based on the four elements of Dust. The effects of the Semblances themselves are varied, and are either very powerful, or extremely subtle. Fireballs, icicles, etcetera._

_An example of a fairly rare but effective Semblance is Cloning. A temporary copy of an item or entity is produced, solid or otherwise._

_The category for Cloning may vary between Hunters. A Physical clone could be made as a distraction or a defense. An Elemental clone may explode into flames upon contact. A Mental clone might only exist in the mind of the enemy, making him attack thin air or allies._

_Most Semblances usually don't fit into only one category, and the boundary is always blurry. Some Semblances may even fit into all three categories._

_These powers will often be similar to an aspect of the person's personality. For instance, speed might come to someone with an energetic personality, or fire-manipulation to someone with a short temper. It must be noted that these aspects can sometimes reflect the Semblances of the parents of the user._

_There are too many mysteries, too many unexplored avenues of Aura to make a truly comprehensible book on the subject. Instead, we invite you to read on, brave Hunter, and then explore the boundaries yourself._

* * *

_The Basics of Dust_

_There exists a simple rhyme, sung to babies as they lie sleeping in their crib._

Air above, or Earth below,  
Fire burns, or Water flows,  
Dark at midnight, Light at noon,  
Either broken or full moon.

_This short ditty outlines the very basics of Dust. The four Elements and the two Antipoles. Each of the four Elements, Earth and Air, Fire and Water, cannot be mixed with their counterparts, but will mix with the others._

_Earth is used to stay, to be solid and indestructible. The Dust is of the color green and is represented by a leaf._

_Air is used to move, to be agile and swift. The Dust is of the color yellow and is represented by a feather._

_Fire is used for destruction, to burn the enemy. The Dust is of the color red, and is represented by a single tongue of flame._

_Water is used for healing, to sooth the wounds. The Dust is of the color blue, represented by a single droplet of water._

_The Antipoles, Light and Dark are the defining characteristics of the Dust itself. The Dust can lean towards Light or Dark, but never both, like the opposites of midnight and noon. With enough purity, the Dust can become pure Light or Dark, leaving no aspect of the original Dust. Light is an energetic Dust, used in speed. Dark is the opposite, used to slow down or keep still._

_Finally, the last line of the song, '_Either broken or full moon'_, is a little more mysterious. Most academics believe it refers to the volatile nature of Dust, its willingness to self destruct, even when not mixed with a counterpart. Others suggest it is referring to the old myth of the moon, about how its shattered face came about. Yet some, a few, believe the line is about an incident much closer to our time..._

* * *

_Remnant: A Record_

_Many, many years ago, when man still lived in fear of the dark nights and the darker monsters, when our only defence against the creatures that prowled in the dim light of the shattered moon was Dust, a new way to fight the darkness entered our world._

_With Aura, the harnessing of the energy within our souls, new kingdoms were built from the ashes of the old._

_Mantle, to the north. Built within the confines of mountains and to defend against flying Grimm, the symbol of Air._

_Vacuo, to the west. Placed on the dried lava in a dormant volcano, where the world had burned long ago, the symbol of Fire._

_Mistral, to the east. Surrounded completely by sea, wherein hide the biggest Grimm of all, the symbol of Water._

_Vale, at the very centre. The largest of all the kingdoms, built upon a catacomb of dark twisting tunnels, the symbol of Earth._

_And the fifth? Nothing but ruins remain of the unnamed kingdom to the south, made to symbolise both Light and Darkness. It fell only seven years after construction, to the darkest of Grimm._

* * *

**_This world that you'll always see was taken and then ripped asunder_**

1st February

Harry had had four weeks of Ozpin quizzing him on the intricacies of Dust, the contradictions of Aura, and the folklore of Remnant, and finally, the day was here. The day where he would new friends, teammates and colleagues _(/enemies, traitors and killers/)_.

He had been waiting for this day. He had practiced his terrible swordplay against the Headmaster a few times and it turned out he wasn't too great at it. He wasn't actually ambidextrous, and his left hand was quite a bit weaker than his right, but he persevered. When school started, he would have to find someone else to practice with.

With his wand, Deputy Pamby had told him that the Aura arts were usually named by the user. Glyphs, Runes, Emblems. He decided to call his Sigils.

He had tried to learn new Sigils apart from his shield and glass trick. The problem was that he couldn't force himself to cast a new complicated Sigil without actually going into danger. He had to believe he was under attack, and Beacon felt too safe. The other problem was that experimenting with random symbols had proved dangerous. There were a few scorch marks on the lawn outside and a lot more bruises on his body to show it.

To begin the initiation, the Bullheads had been dispatched to all around the kingdom of Vale to pick up students from the towns and cities. They would be arriving sometime around midday. Most of the people would be returning students, but at least forty of them would be arriving at Beacon Academy for their first time. Amongst them were three people who Harry would be training with for the next four years. Ozpin hadn't told him how the teams were chosen though.

He dressed himself in the same shimmering black cloak he had arrived in. The only difference was that it was buttoned up at the collar with a small pin. On the pin was a design that he had felt right. A triangle enclosing a circle with a vertical line through the center of both of them.

Beneath his right sleeve was his wand-holster, reinforced with metal, no longer made of simple wood. On his right side was his scabbard with the gold hilt of his sword within easy reach of his left hand.

Harry didn't feel comfortable with naming his weapons, which Ozpin had told him was the norm. He preferred to simply call them his wand and his sword.

He stared nervously into the mirror in his bathroom. His face stared unblinkingly back at him. He tried to smooth down his hair, which seemed to oscillate between messy and smooth every other day, but had decided it would be messy today. It sprang back up. He sighed, and concentrated on the bigger issue.

The partial mask. The white bone-like substance split in two by a jagged lightning crack. It was spread under his fringe, flowing smoothly over the skin.

Every morning, and every night before bed, he concentrated on it, willing it to disappear, even for a second. And there had been absolutely no change. It still covered his head, like a malignant growth. It wasn't uncomfortable per se, in fact, he could barely feel it, but he always felt like it was holding him back, using up his Aura. This would be his final try at removing it before school started.

After two more minutes of futile staring, Harry sighed and gave up. He smoothed his hair back over it, hiding it from view, then exited the bathroom and made his way up to the dining hall, where he ate a hurried breakfast. He decided to spend the last few hours in the library, but was too tense to fully enjoy the book he was reading. It was about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body. It was pretty boring really. More of a classic, romantic novel than the factual books he normally read.

When he realized he hadn't actually read the last five pages, he gave up, but even then, the students hadn't started arriving. He snapped the book shut and put it back into its place. He went to visit Ozpin.

He entered the center spire, and nodded to Amber in her office. She spared him a glance, and continued with the last-minute paperwork. Harry had got to know the Deputy Headmistress better over the last few weeks. She was strict, but behind the mask she was actually quite nice. She did do stuff other than paperwork of course, namely teaching a weapons class.

Harry had been surprised that almost every type of weapon had their own class. Swords, daggers, maces, staffs, you name it. Unique and/or crazy weaponry, like saw blades or whip swords, didn't have a class, but were instead shunted into ones that almost fit their style. It was up to the students to practice and hone the individualities of their chosen weapon, especially if it had gun attachments.

He was disappointed to find that there wasn't an Aura class. Mostly because every Aura interaction was unique to the caster, so a teacher would be utterly useless. The nearest they had were Dust classes, and that was a completely different thing.

Amber taught the Polearm class. Technically, her weapon was an Extendable Pike, but any weapon that was a pole with a blade on the end of a staff was taught in her class. This included poleaxes, glaives, halberds and spears.

Both Ozpin and Amber had to leave occasionally on missions to cull some of the Grimm in the forests. Apparently, the Grimm were becoming more restless this year, compared to last year. Some nights Harry could hear the gunfire from the fights in his room. Ozpin told him not to worry, even when he came back limping. "That's what the cane's for!" he joked, as Amber helped him to his room.

After passing Amber office, he climbed the spiral stairs to see the man, the legend himself.

When he reached the top, Ozpin was standing by the window in his office, looking out towards the city. The Headmaster made no indication that he had heard him come in, so Harry gave a small cough. Ozpin turned and gave him a tight-lipped smile. He gestured for Harry to stand next to him, and Harry stepped forward. They stared out the windows at Vale for a few silent seconds.

"Are you scared, Harry?" Ozpin asked quietly.

Harry hesitated. Was he scared? He felt more nervous than scared. What if he failed the initiation test? Where would he go? He guessed that the nervousness was a kind of fear.

"Yes."

Ozpin nodded, and continued looking out at the city sky, while Harry was looking at him. "You should be. Becoming a Huntsman is no easy task. Many Hunters perish before retirement. Even more are permanently injured. "

He sighed deeply. "We tend not to live full lives. Some Hunters may build families, run businesses, but eventually they will be called back into combat. And when they lose, they tend to lose everything."

He turned to face Harry, his warm eyes twinkling. "Your generation may be luckier. Weaponry is advancing exponentially, along with our technology. Atlas has spent billions of Lien on automated defenses, trying to keep their Hunters and soldiers off the front line. Maybe we won't have to risk lives in the future, and if we do have to, you will be better prepared for it. You are the next generation. The ones who might actually finish the eternal fight."

Harry cleared his suddenly dry throat. "But I'm just one person. How could I make a difference?"

Sounding more formal, Ozpin answered with a smile, "You're a leader, Mr. Black. And with the right team, you can do anything."

After this cryptic statement, he turned back to window, and with a jolt, Harry realized that the Bullheads had finally appeared over the horizon during their conversation.

Before he could open his mouth to question Ozpin, the man said "Go meet your new classmates. Interact. Find friends. Act like kids do these days."

Dismissed, Harry left the office, and made his way to the helipads. The first few ships had already landed, and the older students had already set off towards their dormitories. As Harry passed them, he took in the sight of all the weapons with wide eyes. The books he had read hadn't prepared him for all these unique guns and blades. From a chainsaw corkscrew to a flute blowdart, nothing failed to amaze him. A few students gave him strange looks as he passed them, probably because he was walking in the wrong direction, but he ignored them.

Instead, he focused on the people who weren't going anywhere. These were the first-year students, the ones who were taking in the sight of Beacon Academy for the first time. Harry began to stride towards them, trying to present a confidant image to his new year-mates.

However, before he had even walked two steps, someone bumped into him, knocking him to the ground. Harry looked up, and saw a black-haired boy. He actually looked a lot like Harry, except with red eyes. He wore a black outfit with dark green accents, and had a shotgun attached to his hip. The shotgun was double barreled, and reached down to the boy's knee. The colors of the gun made it look like vines were winding around the stock and sight.

Standing behind him was a girl, who also had black hair, and the red eyes. Looking between the two, Harry could tell they were related. Twins?

The girl wore a red cloak, a lot like Harry's, but with a red girdle-belt and shoulder pads. On her hip was a sword, but a lot more complicated than Harry's own simple blade. The black handle looked normal, rather like the handle of a katana, but the cylindrical sheath was huge, nearly half her height and looked big enough to put your arm inside. Harry could see what looked like a rotating chamber inside, with many different cylinders.

The most interesting thing about her was not her massive weapon, but her tail. It was bushy and black, and looked like a wolf's. She was a Faunus, surmised Harry, surprised. He hadn't met a Faunus before, actually hadn't met anyone beside the headmaster and the deputy. Ozpin had told him about the discrimination held against these people with animal traits, but he could never understand it. There had also been two sections in _Remnant: A Record_ on the Faunus Crusades.

The First Crusade was the result of overpopulation in the relatively new kingdoms. As people are wont to do, they had split into the two opposing factions, these ones being Faunus and Human. And the Humans had won, pulling ahead by simply having a better strategist. At least the war had solved the overpopulation issue. After that, the kingdoms were expanded with population in mind this time, but the resentment between the groups had continued. The Faunus were now the minority, almost halved in number.

The Second Crusade, also known as the Faunus War, was an attempt to put all the remaining Faunus into a new kingdom to the south, a place called Menagerie. Among other things of course. The Faunus rebelled, not wanting to be any closer to the southern breeding pits of Grimm. This war was different this time, as both Humans and Faunus protested the movement, even naming their children after colours. Harry was surprised to find that the surname 'Black' was not that uncommon, if a bit uncreative. The sympathetic Humans hid the Faunus, allowing them to fight back until they forced a peace treaty. The terms were that the Humans wouldn't try to place them in Menagerie, and the Faunus would stop blowing up vital supplies.

That was only 60 years ago. It was in the aftermath of this war that two peace-keeping organizations were made. The Black Sword, to make sure the Faunus made no more attacks, and the White Fang, to try and resolve the tensions still remaining between the sides.

The problem was that, while the Black Sword had been disbanded decades ago, the White Fang were still overloaded and regarded as a joke by the population. The governments weren't helping in any way, resulting in not many Faunus had good paying jobs. Some even ended up working illegally for only a few Lien an hour at some dangerous Dust mine. Only a few Faunus ever made it into Hunter schools. The Faunus in front of him must be either very stubborn, or very good.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The boy exclaimed, glancing with annoyance back at the Faunus girl, who laughed at him. The boy extended a hand down to help Harry up. Oh well, Harry thought, he was trying to make friends, and he grasped the hand.

* * *

**_Wake up from a world of magic,  
_****_Prepare for a world of power,  
_****_The world that you'll always dream was taken and then ripped asunder._**

* * *

A/N **I feel that too many HP/RWBY fics contain completely overpowered Harrys (not that that's such a bad thing). Either that or they're Gamer95's and Harry's being adopted by someone. I strive to have a not too powerful Harry, at least not in comparison to those around him. In this fic, he will probably lose more often then he wins.**


	6. This Will Be The Day

A/N **Thanks for reading, everyone, and I'm sorry for the wait. Also, the story broke one hundred followers. Yay! Thank you all.**

Disclaimer: **Look over there! A copyright infringement! *points at a fanfic with no disclaimer and scurries away***

* * *

**Chapter 6.**

**This Will Be The Day**

* * *

_**Chaos, Darkness**_

1st February

The sun shone bright in Vale today. Most people would have gone out to their local park, and maybe have a picnic or play ball. Nyx Nightshade was not that sort of person. She despised that sort of person.

Instead, she was sitting in the shadows, upon the girders under the most western bridge of Vale, right before the river entered Beacon. The pale girl swung her legs idly, not caring how far above the water she was. On her legs were purple stockings that gradually faded to black as they neared her low heeled shoes. Her dark purple skirt reached down to her knees, and she wore a black and white v-neck with no sleeves, leaving her shoulders exposed.

Below her dark fringe and short hair, her eyes glinted, set above a pretty nose and a prettier smile. But if you looked a little closer, there was a look in those pretty amber eyes, wild and amused. The teeth in the grin were _sharper _than what you could see from afar, with not just the canines ending in points. It wasn't a smile of happiness, but of excitement and glee. Or perhaps something far more sinister.

Around each hand and arm was a long ribbon, wrapped over and over again, covering every inch of skin from the tips of her fingers to just past her elbows. Despite this strange accessory, she moved her hands normally and flexibly, as if she was simply wearing latex gloves instead.

She bit into the stolen apple she held in her gloved hand. It tasted bittersweet, like most Vale apples. Nyx threw the rest of the uneaten apple into the river, watching it sail through the air for a few seconds before splashing into the water, making a satisfying plop. She wiped the juice from her mouth with the back of her hand.

She didn't need to resort to petty theft anymore, but it was way too fun too give up, especially when the store owners tried to chase after her. These 'chases' usually ended with the owner mysteriously tripping over their own feet and landing on their face, while she disappeared gracefully into a back alley, laughing softly.

She never stole enough at a time to get the police after her, only the occasional pretty skirt or in this case, an apple.

The other kids at the old orphanage had called her a klepto, amongst the other names. She wasn't sure they actually knew what a kleptomaniac was. But she had shown them. Their taunts were what had inspired her to start training to become a something better. Not for all the goody-goody moral stuff like protecting other citizens, but so that when she grew up, she could kill the kids or, at the very least, seriously maim them.

She didn't even need to wait that long. After getting her Aura unlocked by some shady guy in a back alley, they had tried to ambush her again. They had been sent back with their tails between their legs when she fought back.

She had been using only two primitive kitchen knifes as her weapons. The knifes were stolen of course. Later, when she was more financially stable, she had upgraded the design to something more durable and unique. She integrated her hand ribbons and installed compressible chambers filled with Dust into the hilts of her daggers.

After that particular incident, the orphanage had finally kicked her out. She was only eleven, but had too many 'quirks' to be adopted. After the children's home kicked her out too, she had lived with a few gangs, some good, some bad, mostly hovering around the edges, unnoticed. When she was fifteen she had started fending for herself, blackmailing or stealing from the occasional person when she needed money. She had a habit of finding out dirty little secrets.

Eventually though, she had found her way into the fighting clubs. The fighting clubs were where Hunter dropouts, ex-army, and self-taught nobodies like herself, all met to fight for cash prizes. It was semi-illegal, not that she or anyone else cared. It was insane and exciting, battling the best and worst of the underground of Vale. She won a few matches, not enough to make a name for herself, but enough to afford some shitty little apartment in South Vale. It was a place to store stuff and to sleep. It wasn't a home, not by a long shot. Her home was on the streets and in the fighting arenas.

She had gone back over the years, each time winning a few matches, but forfeiting before she got noticed. She didn't want the attention, only the excitement. She won enough money to support her meagre lifestyle, and enough adrenaline to keep her happy.

But apparently someone _had_ noticed the silently grinning girl who won every match she played, but had never made it past the semifinals. This year, the Headmaster of the best school in Vale had been waiting for her. He gave her an offer she couldn't refuse. A chance to become a real Huntress, and fight with real monsters, not just men pretending to be monsters. She had proved her skills, her abilities, and he had agreed that she was worthy.

And now, Nyx Nightshade would find her place among the aspiring Huntsman and Huntresses of this generation. She wondered if Ozpin knew about her little secret.

Her hidden fingers twitched and she threw her knife upwards, hooking it around the railing above. She shimmied quickly up the ribbon, and flipped onto the actual bridge itself, narrowly avoiding a limo. It honked at her, and she flipped it off as it continued past. She hopped up onto the railing on the side of the bridge, balancing perfectly on the thin metal beam, and followed the limo westwards, towards Beacon Academy.

* * *

Inside the limousine, a young man waited in the cool air-conditioned atmosphere.

He was dressed in a black two-piece suit with a ice blue tie. His hat was a deeper blue, not ice, but rather like the deep sea, and was perched on his head, several dark red curls of hair escaping from underneath. Underneath the brim of the hat were two bright eyes, the same ice colour as his tie.

Kaos Nomos was the son of Saturn Nomos of Nomos Weapons Industries. Nomos Industries produced weapons for armies and Hunters, from plain battle rifles to extreme combinations of blades and projectile launchers. If a Hunter wanted a weapon, they would order one from a catalog, or send in their own design, and for a moderate amount of money, they would make it. They dabbled in Dust experimentation too, as well as armour and some other technologies. The symbol of Nomos Industries was a circle, from which eight arrows pointed out in the cardinal directions, symbolizing their inclusion of every direction of the world.

Kaos was born three years after his sister Arda. When their father eventually died, he would leave the company to his true heir, and there would be nothing for Kaos to inherit. He _could _just take a high ranking job at the company, but that was ... Boring. He needed something to do on his own, something to be recognised for. He refused to be the second child, the unwanted one. His sister was the perfect heir, ready to sacrifice her whole life for the company. He couldn't do that. He didn't even have the opportunity.

Kaos needed his own legacy. He needed a way to be get away from his father. And becoming a Huntsman was the answer. Hunters were becoming increasingly famous, celebrities even. The biyearly tournaments were gaining audience at an exponential rate. Kaos would fight along his own path, and maybe one day, when the company was gone, the name would still be remembered as his own.

He designed his own weapons, based around the symbol of the company. A shield, with eight arrows pointing out in every direction. His sword was a standard short blade with its cross guard tilted at 45 degrees to trap and break enemy blades, with the sheath on the underside of the bracer. Good, reliable, just like the Nomos way of using everything to their advantage in a compact a space as possible.

His father had been so proud, perhaps for the first time, that he had hired tutors to teach him to fight. He had participated in a few small tournaments, winning a few, placing high in others. Father had moved his attention away from him by then, back to Arda, his heir. His tutors stopped getting paid, and it eventually fell to Kaos to fund his own dreams.

This year, the year he turned seventeen, had started tensely. It wasn't until the third day that the invitation had arrived. He had expected this, of course, but it came as a relief to finally have solid proof, a letter in his hands. His hands had shook as he had opened the it.

_Dear Mr. Nomos,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Beacon Academy for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Term begins on February 1st._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Amber Pamby  
Deputy Headmistress._

And finally, the day had come, when Kaos Nomos would find his place amongst the Huntsman and Huntresses of this generation. He wondered if the Headmaster knew of his little secret.

He adjusted his hat and leant suddenly forward, rapping sharply twice on the black separator between him and the driver. It became transparent, and the noise from the radio in the drivers compartment filtered through.

"Yes, sir?" the driver asked in a chipper tone. The few words from the song on the radio caught Kaos's attention.

_This will be the day we've waited for ... We are lightning ... Welcome to a world of new solutions._

He could appreciate the irony.

"How long until we reach Beacon?" Kaos asked. He had endured a two hour long flight already, another hour in a car, and the tension of the day was really starting to get to him.

"We're just arriving now, sir."

It was true. Kaos could see the Academy's walls through the windshield. The limo was following the barrier around to the entrance. Kaos pressed a button below the separator, and it blacked out again, leaving him in silence. Weirdly enough, he found himself wishing that the last few minutes of the journey would stretch into hours. A new part of his life was about to dawn, one with new people to meet, to fight, to learn from, to _lead_. It was nerve wracking.

Kaos leant back into his comfortable seat, glass of sparkling water in one aristocratic hand. The perfect picture of calm on the outside, but inside, he was a roiling ball of anxiousness. The only sign of the nervousness were his fingers, drumming a small beat on the soft armrest.

Inevitably, the car slowed to a halt. Kaos waited for the driver to open the door, then climbed slowly out into the warm spring day. His shoes clicked on the cobbled path.

He blinked a few times at the sudden brightness and looked around, while his driver loaded up a trolley with his bags and boxes from the boot.

The path from the city into Beacon was almost empty, most of the students arriving via the landing pads in the south. A few students were already wandering though, perhaps looking down at the city of Vale for the first time.

Kaos had seen Vale plenty of times, as well as the other capital cities, but he was sure he had never been this close to the magnificent towers of Beacon. In the highest was the glowing signature green of the Vale beacon, eternally burning bright.

He sighed, and started to walk determinately forwards, ready to start a new day. His servant followed behind, pushing the small trolley of luggage. And behind both of them, a dark-haired girl walked, ribbons wrapped around her hands.

* * *

_**Twins born into tension**_

Onboard the magnificent airship, miles high in the air, a boy and a girl watched in awe at their first sight of the capital city of the largest of the four kingdoms. They were not the only ones. Many others stood scattered in the large viewing area underneath the airship, gasping at the amazing sight. This city was bigger than anything most of them had ever seen before. No towns were this large, nor this fortified. This was the very center of civilization in Remnant, literally and figuratively.

The boy nudged the girl to his right with his elbow, and pointed towards towards the western edge of the city, where high spires pierced the sky.

"Look! Beacon!"

The girl looked unimpressed. "Are you referring to the Academy, or the actual beacon?"

The boy shrugged. "Both? Anyway, isn't this awesome! My little sister and I are going to Beacon together!"

The girl frowned. "For the last time Qrow, I'm only ten minutes younger than you."

"Well yeah, but those ten minutes rolled into the next year, Raven." Qrow replied cheekily as the girl scowled. "You know, I almost didn't expect the school to send you an invitation, what with you being born in the wrong year and you being a ..." He hesitated, looking around.

"Faunus." Raven finished. Faunus, people with animal traits, were persecuted for almost no reason. Wars had been fought in the past, when humans had tried to confine the Faunus, and they had fought back. Hunters managed to remain primarily human, despite most Faunus having advantages like night vision or enhanced hearing.

She herself was a Wolf Faunus, and proud of it. Basically, she had a tail. Oh, and pretty good hearing too. Nothing else was different, yet people would always try to distance themselves from her, like she would rip their throat out at a moment's notice. '_Animal_' they called her, '_Beast_'.

"Hey, they say Ozpin is actively seeking out Faunus Hunters." said Qrow, shrugging.

Raven shrugged. "I don't see any others."

It was true. She hadn't seen a single Faunus. Unfortunately, this meant she was the prime target now.

She had already been harassed several times by other students, tripping her over, or 'accidentally' spilling drinks on her. As if on cue, she felt someone tug roughly on her tail. She turned angrily to find a blonde boy with his hand still outstretched.

He wore a white breastplate, and dark red sleeves ending in brown fingerless gloves. He had a black-handled sword on his hip, but interestingly enough, it didn't have a cross guard. Instead, the silver sheath seemed attached to the sword, melding at the base of the hilt.

"They let animals in here?" he said, a disgusted look on his face. Yet another racist. She knew the fastest way to deal with them when they tried to confront her.

"_Leave." _She growled, baring her teeth at him. He gave her one last look of loathing, and scampered off. There was something in that look that triggered people's flight instinct. She had perfected it.

Qrow gaped after the quickly retreating boy and then sighed. "I guess acceptance isn't for everyone."

They turned back to the window, watching in silence, the moment ruined, as the airship drifted closer to the city, passing over the water below.

"I wonder who we're going to meet." wondered Qrow.

"Ugh, I hope they're better than that douche."

Qrow raised an eyebrow and opened his mouth to reply, but at that exact moment, a loud official "Ahem" sounded from the screens in the centre of the viewing area. Everyone turned away from the windows, facing inwards.

The screens showed a stern looking woman, dressed entirely in green. She moved her closed hand away from her mouth. "Hello new students, and welcome to Beacon Academy."

"Who's that?" muttered Qrow to Raven.

"My name is Deputy Headmistress Amber Pamby."

"Oh."

"You are among a privileged few who have been invited to attend this prestigious academy. Remnant is experiencing a time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it will fall to you to uphold this it."

"You may have demonstrated the ability and the skills to be admitted to Beacon, but we will have to provide you with the training and knowledge, so that you can preserve this fragile world of ours."

"Please gather at the auditorium in twenty minutes. Feel free to walk around, explore, but do not leave the grounds."

The screen flickered off, and the airship began to descend. It touched down quite smoothly, docking with the landing pad. Raven and Qrow filtered out with the rest of the students, watching their step on the narrow walkway. Raven instinctively started moved away from the crowd, while Qrow tried to get closer. He decided to follow her instead, both taking in the sight of the high buildings and stained glass. Nothing this tall or decorated would be able to survive out in the more rural parts of Vale.

Qrow was more interested in the students, or rather, their weapons. "Ooh look Raven, that guy's got Wind and Fire wheels, and _ohmygod_ that one's got a hydraulic Khopesh."

Raven sighed. "They're just weapons Qrow."

Qrow stared at her in astonishment. "'Just Weapons'? These are the tools of Hunters! These are the creative outputs of a new future! No longer confined to just plain _swords_ or _guns_ we can mix and match until we make something that is truly a part of our soul. The world is changing so fast. Imagine, in twenty years, people will view _these_ weapons as antiques."

Raven scoffed. "That doesn't explain why you're so fascinated with _other_ people's weapons."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "If we study people's weapons, we find out more about them, their personality or their upbringing -" His eyes flashed "Ah look! That guy has a genuine fire lance!"

Qrow turned around to fully appreciate all the weapons in the crowd behind them. Neither of them realised Qrow was about to walk backwards into another student, who was looking just as distracted.

Qrow backed straight into the other boy, knocking him to the ground. While Qrow was apologising, Raven got a good look at the guy. He was wearing a normal black cloak, his hood down. His weapon was a typical sword, maybe a little on the ostentatious side, with a shiny gold handle and, were those Dust crystals? The most striking thing about him was how much he resembled Qrow. He actually looked more like Qrow than she did, and that was saying something considering that they were twins. His hair was a little different though, longer and messier than Qrow's, perhaps a shade darker, and his eyes were an bright emerald to Qrow's crimson red.

Qrow reached out his hand to the boy on the ground, after shooting Raven a glare for laughing at him. After a short moment, the boy grasped the hand and pulled himself up, brushing dust off his cloak.

"It's fine." He said politely. He stretched out his hand to shake. "I'm Harry Black."

Qrow shook, then replied "I'm Qrow Branwen, and this is my irrepressible twin sister Raven." He gestured at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Are you a first-year as well?" she asked Harry.

Harry nodded. She had watched his eyes flicker to her tail, and waited for him to mention it, like most people did when they met her. Instead, an awkward silence reigned for a few seconds.

"So..." said Qrow, breaking the silence "Can I see your weapon?"

Harry blinked. "Pardon?"

"He means your sword." explained Raven exasperatedly. "Qrow loves meeting new weapons, rather than new people."

Qrow had always been like that. Show him a combination of weapons he had never seen before, and he would literally squeal.

"Er, sure... I mean, it's nothing special."

He drew his sword with his left hand. It shined brightly in the daylight. It looked impressive, but impractical.

"What does it do?" Qrow asked excitedly. "Like, do those crystals do anything?" He pointed to the red crystals embedded in the gold hilt that looked suspiciously like Burn Dust, but she could tell it wasn't. They didn't have the shine of Burn Dust.

Harry looked sheepish. "Uh, no. The stones in the hilt are just rubies." He chuckled. "If they were Dust, I'd probably blow my hand off. But, I've got-"

"So your sword's just a _classic_, huh?" Qrow interrupted, drawing out the word. "Boooring. Come on Raven, let's go."

Raven winced. Qrow was always excited by new weapons, but showing him a plain sword was equivalent to giving a starving man a dry biscuit. He'd eat it, but he'd definitely want something more.

Harry frowned at Qrow. "So what if it's a 'classic'? Let's see _your_ weapon."

Qrow brightened up visibly. "Sure!" Raven knew he would enjoy showing up Harry. Qrow unhooked his shotgun from his hip, and with a swift overhead swing, it transformed. The pump action unfolded out in a zigzag fashion, the barrels extended out even further, and the sights popped up.

The pump action slid smoothly out, one part after the next, until the three sections were unfolded. Each section was a sharpened blade, melding at the seams. The curved blade was as high as Qrow's chest.

Within a second, the movement had ended with the weapon pointed upwards, and the blade angled over his shoulder. Harry jumped backwards in fright. "Holy shit! Is that ... a scythe?"

"It's also a customisable high-impact shotgun." stated Qrow proudly.

The barrels were pointed straight up, and with the blade and the curved stock, it was almost shaped like a question mark.

Qrow folded it back up again, jerking it over his shoulder, collapsing the blade back into shotgun form. He tucked it back in his belt.

"So did you make that?" Harry asked.

"Of course! Everyone at Signal Academy makes and designs their own weapons. Speaking of which, what Academy did you go to?"

"I was, uh ...", Harry seemed to struggle for a moment with his answer. "I trained on my own."

"Really?" asked Qrow, impressed. Raven sensed a little bit of story behind Harry's hesitation. There was something just a little ... off about him.

"Anyway," Harry interjected, steering the conversation away. "I bet I got something better than your gun-scythe thing."

"Its called a Shotgun Scythe, and you just said there wasn't anything special about your sword."

"I wasn't talking about my sword. I'm talking about this." Harry gave his right hand a small flick and something flew into the palm of his hand.

Raven was the first to speak in the silence that followed. "A stick?" she asked incredulously.

It was long, thin and definitely wooden.

Harry turned to her and frowned. "Its not a stick. It's my weapon."

"Oh yeah?" she asked contemptuously, "It looks like a stick."

His eyes narrowed. The tip of the stick pointed at her and started to glow.

"Hey, come on Harry. That was a joke." she said, taking a couple of steps back and activating her Aura just in case.

Harry sighed and the stick disappeared up his sleeve again.

Qrow frowned. "Hey, come on, show us what's so special-" He sniggered "-about your stick."

Harry turned to him. "Even if it's on your sister?"

Qrow shrugged, biting his lip to hold in his laugh at Harry's comeback. "At least tell me what it's based on. Dust? Projectile? Maybe even Aura?"

Harry's eyes were twinkling. He deliberately ignored Qrow's questions and instead turned to Raven. "Can I see your weapon then?" he asked.

"Oh no, I can't take mine out of its sheath." Harry raised an eyebrow at the extremely bulky 'sheath'. It did look a little unwieldy. She was hoping to try to compress it somehow.

She elaborated. "It's basically a rotating barrel with several different blades inside." She spun the mechanism for emphasis. "I choose which blade, and it attaches to the hilt, which I then draw out."

"What's the difference between the blades?"

"Each one is coated with a different Dust. The six purer varieties and Energy Dust, as well as a few mixtures I designed myself. I got fourteen different blades in there."

Harry looked impressed. "You made your own mixtures of Dust? Isn't that really dangerous?"

"She blew up parts of the house the first few times." chipped in Qrow. "After we lost the living room, Dad built her her own shed."

In the shed, suitably far away from the house, she decided what mixtures of Dust she was going to test, and then hoped to hell nothing would get past the several layers of steel between her and the automated mixing system.

"How many times have you blown up that shed, sis?"

"I've lost count."

The problem was that Dust didn't react very well to anything, especially other Dusts. Sure, there were a few of the more stable mixtures, like Energy, but change the percentages of the mixture just one tiny bit, and you ended up with a serious explosion. Finding a new, stable combination was not only time-consuming and costly, but _extremely_ dangerous. And the mixture might not even do something useful.

Experimenting was left to the professionals and/or big companies, like the new Schnee Dust Company. And even then, the discoveries weren't publicly announced, instead kept secret by the companies or individuals to profit from. All the publicly known Dust mixtures were mostly leaked from inside the big companies, or released by generous inventors. It was a secret and dangerous world, and many recipes died with the person that discovered them, sometimes in fiery/icy explosions.

Harry was looking amused. "Have you invented anything special?" He joked.

Raven sighed. "No. Not really."

Her own combinations weren't as useful or powerful as Energy Dust, but were instead minor variations or improvements on other existing types. It might be enough to give her an edge over any other Dust users, but not much.

All she needed was to find the perfect combination, the next Energy Dust, and she would become famous, and people would look past the Faunus, and see the inventor.

The person who had invented Energy Dust had gone down in legend. Something that was pure energy, enough power for anything, _that_ was revolutionary. What could top that? Some people were even considering adding Energy Dust to the four base elements.

Raven looked around her. "Where are we anyway?"

Qrow looked around too. "Um... I dunno."

They had wandered away from the crowds, exploring Beacon's beautiful paths.

"We're outside the medical bay." said Harry helpfully. He pointed at a large statue nearby. It was of two people standing above a defeated Beowolf. Behind it was a few large windows looking into, sure enough, a medical bay.

"But where are we actually going to?" asked Qrow.

Raven blinked. "I was following you."

"But I was following you!"

Harry was grinning at both of them. "I think the auditorium is that way." he said, pointing.

"Oh" said Qrow and Raven in unison, then glared at each other. She stuck her tongue out at him.

* * *

_**Ways to kill from new invention**_

Taiyang Xiao Long took a deep breathe as he stepped off the airship. It was a warm day, with the distant sounds of gunshots in the distance as the Bullheads took care of the last of the following Nevermores.

Tai walked out into the crowd, checking out the Huntresses. He had found that any female who took up Hunting as a profession was automatically hot. No exceptions. Except maybe the fat ones where their size was part of their fighting technique, but those were rare. And still kinda hot.

Anyway, he had spotted the perfect target. She was a head shorter than him, and probably an 7 or 8 on the Huntress Hotness scale, but with added points for the multicolored hair. All alone, she would be defenseless against his seducing! Mwahaha.

He walked over to where she was standing, just off the path. "Hey, I'm Taiyang," he said in a flirting tone, "but you can call me Tai."

She glanced at him but didn't reply. She had brown eyes, he noted.

"You're usually meant to say something at this point in the conversation." he said.

She remained mute. She blinked though, and one of her eyes turned pink. Okay, that was a little freaky. Maybe one point lower.

"Are you ignoring me?"

Silence was accompanied by a frown, but he wasn't giving up.

"Do you know your way? Maybe you could show me around?"

Both her eyes were now pink, and Tai's Hunter instincts were telling him to back off now, before it was too late. But he had to continue, to preserve his dignity and his pride.

"Um, nice hair?" Instantly, he knew he had gone too far. Before he could say anything else, she had taken her weapon, a frilly looking umbrella, and hooked the handle around his foot. She yanked with strength that someone of her size should not have, and he went crashing to the ground, foot flying upwards.

He lay there wheezing as she walked off. Damn, she was graceful.

Her hair actually was cool though. The right side of it was colored brown, and the left was pink with a few small sections of white. As he watched her walk away, he saw that it was tied into a short ponytail behind her, with the two sides swirling around each other in a spiral.

A shadow passed over him and he looked up. A different girl was standing over him, dressed all in white. She had dark red hair, the only colour on her. Silver grey eyes watched him as he lay on the ground.

"Hey Summer." He said dejectedly. He knew Summer Rose from Morse, his previous academy. They had been rivals, always jockeying for first and second in their classes. They were ... friends? Maybe?

"Hello Taiyang." she said coolly, "What are you doing on the ground?"

He pushed himself to his feet. "I tripped." he lied, gritting his teeth.

"Riiight. That girl floored you pretty hard. I gather she didn't like your flirting?"

Summer was the one person Tai had never considered a relationship with. One, her personality was icy. A little ironic, right? And two, she never took off that billowing white cloak of hers. It always disguised her figure and dropped her down to about a 3.

"Whatever." he muttered, trying to ignore her smirk. "Do you know where we're meant to go?"

"The auditorium of course." She stared at him. "Weren't you listening to the Deputy Headmistress?"

"Uh. No."

She rolled her eyes. "Typical."

He ignored her. "So where is the auditorium?"

"I... don't know." she admitted.

"No way, really? The super-smart Summer Rose doesn't know." said Tai sarcastically. "My guess is that it's probably somewhere near the centre."

Summer paused. "And just why were you lying on the ground again?"

"Hey, you already teased me about that once."

They started on their way, Summer gliding along the path, her cloak, almost a cape really, flowing behind her.

Sure enough, as they approached the central tower of Beacon, people were funnelling into the circular building next to it. It had three huge light blue doors, four or five times their height, of which only the middle one was open. They entered with the others, and everyone stood waiting for the Headmaster's address.

In the middle of the building was a large raised platform, and around the walls were empty rows of seats. Everyone was standing in front of the platform looking up at where Headmaster Ozpin stood and that woman from the announcement on the airship, what was her name? Amby? Pamby? No, Amber, that was it.

Ozpin stepped up to the microphone.

"Ahem."

The students quietened down. Any chat stopped in front of this legend of a man.

"I'll ... keep this brief."

He looked worn out. His clothes were still pristine, his posture perfect, yet somehow you knew he was tired. It was in his deep brown eyes.

"You have travelled here today to find out whether or not you are worthy of attending Beacon Academy. You have come here to discover knowledge, to fight monsters, to defend the innocent and dedicate your life to their protection."

"We have separated the extraordinary from the ordinary, the innovation from the stagnation, and to the rest of the world, you are the best, and the brightest of the Kingdom of Vale."

He sighed audibly.

"But all _I_ see when I look out at you, is a wasted ambition. _None_ of you have arrived without doubt in your mind. You may assume that this school will teach you to be pure, to be successful, but it can only take you so far. It is up to you, and to you alone, to take the first step."

"Thank you."

He walked away. Amber stepped up to the microphone. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready."

As she left, the students began to whisper among themselves. To Summer, Tai said "He seemed kind of ... off."

"Yes" agreed Summer quietly. "Maybe he's a little stressed out with all the Grimm attacks.

Tai stared at her. "Grimm attacks?"

"You didn't know? Since the start of the year, Grimm activity has almost doubled in Vale. Rumour has, it's increased in the other kingdoms too."

"I didn't notice."

Summer nodded. "Not many did. They were all centred around the major cities. The experienced Hunters fended them off."

"How do you know this?"

"My parents."

Tai remembered why exactly their rivalry had been so vicious. Tai had come from an ordinary family, the first to try to become a Huntsman. In contrast, Summer Rose had come from 'old blood' as it was called. She had grown up with her parents describing their battles to her, the weaknesses of Grimm, the strategies of war.

Hunter parents weren't rare, and probably even less so in Beacon, with it being the premier school for Huntsmen and Huntresses. Some Hunters had powerful or useful skills that allowed them to survive to bring up children. And sometimes they passed these skills onto these children.

Summer said "We should go to the ballroom now, and collect our luggage."

"Yeah." agreed Tai.

They entered the ballroom and separated to change into pyjamas.

"It's like one big sleepover." said Tai as he approached Summer. She was wearing a long formless nightgown. It was white of course. Her dark red hair was more visible now.

"But better." he continued, watching some girls walk by in nothing but a tank top and shorts. They eyed him too, shirtless and muscular.

Summer rolled her eyes and threw a pillow, hitting Tai squarely in the head.

Tai turned to Summer, annoyed, and noticed she had something rolled up in one hand. "What's that?" He asked.

"A letter for my parents. I promised to send them one after I arrived safely. I mean, did you see the amount of Nevermores following the airship?"

"No."

"You never notice anything, do you?"

Tai threw the pillow back at her. She dodged, and it headed towards another girl behind her. But the girl caught it before it hit her.

She silently tossed it back to Summer.

"Oh, it's you." Tai said. It was the girl from his failed flirtation.

She gave no sign that she remembered him. Just blinked twice with her eyes that were back to a chocolate brown color.

Summer turned around. "Hello. I'm Summer, and I suppose you've already met Taiyang."

They shook hands politely. Tai spoke, sounding a little annoyed. "How come you ignored and then floored me earlier?"

Both girls looked at him with an identical expression, like he was too dumb too live. Summer answered for them both. "Because she didn't like you?"

"Hey!"

"It's a reasonable assumption." shrugged Summer.

"Plenty of girls like me!"

"I certainly don't."

"That's because you're _you_."

By now, the mysterious girl had started to walk away, leaving Summer and Tai to their bickering.

"Hey, wait a second," said Tai, calling after her. "We didn't get your name. "

She turned and whispered, barely audible. It was a hoarse voice, dulled by disuse.

_"Neopolitan."_

And she walked away.

* * *

**_Chaos, Darkness  
Twins born into tension  
Ways to kill from new invention_**

* * *

A/N **Too much of an info dump? Too many characters introduced? Tell me, please.**

**Name Origins, first my OCs**:

**Nyx Nightshade**. Nyx, the Greek goddess of night, said to be feared by even Zeus himself. Deadly Nightshade, also known as _Atropa_ _Belladonna_, has berries that may taste sweet, but are extremely poisonous.

**Kaos Nomos**. There are two types of Chaos. False Chaos, which may seem random but instead follows distinct rules, and True Chaos, in which there are no rules, no laws, no predictability, which is just as bad as too many rules. Nomos, Latin for Laws.

**Canon Characters:**

**Taiyang Xiao Long.** Means 'Supreme Sun, Little Dragon'.

**Neopolitan.** Means 'New City'.

**Raven and Qrow Branwen**. Raven, a bird of ill omen, most commonly associated with the dead. Crows are said to be, in Aboriginal dreamtime, an animal that attacks people on their way to the afterlife. Branwen, meaning white crow/raven.

**Summer Rose.** I think the name is pretty obvious here.


	7. New Solutions

A/N **I missed every single deadline I set for myself... So here we are, exactly 90 days after the last chapter.**

Disclaimer: **I do not own Barry Trotter, nor do I want to.**

* * *

**Chapter 7:****  
****New Solutions.**

* * *

_**This will be the day they've trained us for**_

2nd February

"Hey! Wakey wakey!"

Tai felt someone click their fingers in front of his face. He cracked open an eyelid and immediately shut it again at the bright light. He buried his head further in the pillow, groaning.

"Seriously, Taiyang? You're the last one asleep. You better hurry up, or you'll miss out on pancakes."

Tai sat upright so suddenly he nearly head-butted the person standing above him.

"Pancakes?" He slurred.

"Yes." Said the blurry figure of Summer Rose exasperatedly. "But breakfast ends in three, no, two minutes."

Tai was dressed in a flash. He sprinted through the empty ballroom, Summer following at a more leisurely pace behind. The lady at the cafeteria stared at him disapprovingly, before serving him a plate of pancakes and closing her shutter.

After applying a large amount of syrup and taking a bite, he looked up at Summer, who was looking coldly at him with an eyebrow raised.

"Goof murnig."

Her eyebrow lifted even higher. He swallowed before talking this time.

"Aren't you going to eat something?"

Summer rolled her eyes before replying. "I already ate an hour ago."

"You were awake an hour ago?"

She shook her head. "I was awake _two_ hours ago."

Tai leant forward, building up for the important question. "But... Why?"

"Habit." She shrugged. "I used to get up pretty early to practise fighting, and it stuck with me."

Tai grunted and swallowed the last of his pancakes, and looked around the cafeteria. Most people were chatting with their friends, but a few were shooting him funny looks.

"Why are they staring?" He asked Summer.

"It might be because you rushed in here in the last minute of breakfast. Or it might be because your hair is messed up."

Tai tried to smooth his blonde hair down using the reflection in his knife as a guide. He was usually so careful with his hair.

"Good?"

"Certainly better."

He smiled until Summer added "But it still looks like a bird has lived three generations in it."

Tai pouted at her, but she just ignored him. "What about you go clean yourself up and I'll meet you at the lockers."

She stood up and left. Tai was used to her coldness after putting up with it for six years at Morse. She never really connected with anyone, preferring to be distant and aloof. In fact, Tai was probably the person she interacted with the most, simply because of their rivalry. And that was pretty sad.

* * *

Summer walked along the mostly empty rows of lockers, trying to find number 342. They had all been assigned the locker numbers the previous day, notified by their Scrolls. They had also been assigned launch pad numbers, and didn't that sound ominous.

When Summer finally reached her locker, she was surprised to find a someone already there. He had slick black hair and wore a long black cloak, not dissimilar to her own, except in color.

"Hello." she greeted, curious as to why he was at her locker.

As he turned to her, she saw that he was actually at the locker next to hers, number 343.

"H-hello." he stammered, surprised, dropping his sword on the ground.

She bent down and picked it up for him, careful to touch only the handle. You never knew what the blade might be coated with. Dust or poison, but either way, dangerous.

"You should take better care of your weapon." She passed the sword back to him. "Summer Rose." she added in greeting as she opened her locker.

"Harry Black." he replied, closing his.

She took out her two cutlasses as he sat down on the bench. One of the weapons had a white handle, while the other was silver, matching her eyes.

Silence fell between the two as they both cleaned their weapons. It was only broken upon the arrival of Tai mere minutes later.

"Summer! I see you still got those crappy cutlasses."

"They're not crap." she replied without blinking.

"They don't even transform into anything. I keep telling you, you should make something better."

Funnily enough Tai had told her this in the past, but she had always assumed it was in jest. She ignored it for now. She had trained with the cutlasses for years, and she couldn't be expected to learn an entirely new weapon style.

"My cutlasses could beat your pathetic knuckle dusters any day."

"You wish."

A small cough came from behind them. It was ... What was his name again? Harold? No, Harry. A dreadfully boring name. Almost as bad as say, Tom. His surname though, that was just a cliché from the Faunus War.

"Taiyang, this is Harry Black. Harry, Taiyang Xiao Long."

"I didn't see you there. A pleasure to meet you. Call me Tai." said Tai, holding out a hand. Harry shook it.

"Knowing Summer, both of you were just sitting in silence until I came along."

Summer frowned. And knowing Tai, he was about to play matchmaker.

"So, why don't you-"

Thankfully, an announcement interrupted him.

"Would all first-years please prepare for their initiation at midday on the south cliff." came Deputy Pamby's voice. "I repeat, all first-years, prepare for initiation at midday, that is twelve o'clock, on the south cliff. Thank you."

"Luckily, we're already prepared." said Harry, glancing at a clock. It was already eleven.

"I'm not." said Tai, throwing open his locker. Summer groaned internally when she realized it was the locker on the other side of hers.

He took out his pair of metal knuckle-dusters. "Oh yeah." he said, punching his fists together. A few sparks flew. "Now I'm ready."

Summer rolled her eyes at his show of macho-ness.

"So, Harry." said Tai, striking up the conversation again while flexing his fingers. "Did you manage to get past the positively **winter**y exterior Summer extrudes? Cause you know, she only gets colder underneath."

Summer harrumphed, turning to leave. Tai stopped her.

"Summer, you _know_ that there's going to be teams of four." he stage-whispered. "That means getting to know _at least two other people_. I can maybe understand not wanting to know Neo or whatever her name was, but at least try and start with Harry here."

She sighed. He was right. She turned to a grinning Harry. He was obviously amused at their conversation.

"What school did you train at?" she asked coldly.

"I actually trained by myself." he replied, still with that dumb grin of his. "You?"

"Morse Institute. With this dunderhead." She pointed at Tai.

"So, are you guys a couple?"

Tai gagged. "God no!"

"We're friendly enemies." Summer explained.

"Frenemies." corrected Tai.

"Oh." said Harry. "Well, is there anyone else from Morse Institute here?"

"Nah. Just us two." said Tai. "There are a couple from our rival school though, Luminaire Academy. Ashley Fall and Jonathan Arc. You met them yet?"

Harry shook his head.

"Good. They're total pieces of shit. And I'm not just saying that because they're our rivals. Jon's a racist and Ashley's just plain psycho."

"It's just that Jon seems to think he actually has the right to be racist," expanded Summer. "He's descended from generals in both the Faunus wars. On the Human side of course."

"There was a rumor," Tai said in a hushed tone, "that Jon once punched a homeless Faunus out cold, and then Ashley went one step further and set the poor guy on fire."

Harry looked horrified.

"Yeah, I know." said Tai, noting his expression. "Complete psychos. Perfect for each other. Try and stay away from them."

"Anyone you know at Beacon?" asked Summer, trying to change the subject.

"I met these twins from Signal," suggested Harry, still a little distracted. "They seemed pretty nice."

"Signal? Isn't that the one on the island?" Tai turned to Summer.

Summer nodded. "That's the place where they let the students go totally overboard with their weapon designs. Half the time they end up useless. But the rest of the time they are actually quite dangerous."

"Yeah," agreed Harry. "The guy had a scythe that was as big as he was."

People had started to filter in by now, taking out their weapons and preparing them. Harry caught sight of the twins, pointing them out to Summer and Tai.

"Oh, and one of them's a Faunus. And apparently proud of it, judging by the skirt." noted Tai. "Jon's going to give her trouble."

Suddenly Tai stiffened.

"Speak of the devil." he whispered, pointing out a blonde a couple of rows down.

"And wherever Jon goes, Ashley is sure to follow." added Summer.

"Let's get out of here before they spot us and possibly try to kill us." suggested Tai.

"Good idea."

As a parting warning to Harry as they left, Tai said "I hope they don't see your friend over there. You might want to warn her."

They both walked casually out of the locker room. As they left, Harry spotted a black haired girl put her hand on Jon's shoulder. She turned her head towards him and he caught a glimpse of amber, almost orange eyes, flickering like the center of a flame, following him, assessing him. And then she smiled at him, as a cat might smile at a mouse.

* * *

_**This will be the day we burst out through that door**_

"Are you sure about this, Ozpin?"

They stood to the side of the landing pads, on the edge of the cliff. In front of them was a sea of beautiful yellow leaves and high tree tops. A line of rectangular pads stretched out along the cliff edge, beside the two figures.

"It's just too dangerous this year. Even with all the teachers helping, we didn't make it safe enough. And Team GMBL never found that Lindrac."

Ozpin simply continued to stare forward. He spoke gently. "Every year, for almost a century, we have always tested our new students in the same way."

"I know, I know." said Amber dejectedly. "But this year's different. The Grimm are stronger. The students are even more unpredictable. There are so many variables that we can't even begin to understand."

She took a deep breath.

"There's a huge chance that we could lose someone."

"And the world will move on, Amber. But in the face of such extreme adversary, I find that true Hunters rise to the challenge."

The first students had started arriving, and Ozpin noted young Mr. Black among them. He was one of the trickier variables. They had no statistics on his technique, no way of knowing how he would land, or where. They had to hope he would land where they had aimed him, in a relatively safer part of the forest.

"Each of you, stand on your assigned launch pad."

Once every student had arrived, Ozpin stood in front of them. He was holding his mug of coffee in one hand, his cane in the other.

"Greetings, students." he began. "For years you have trained to be fighters, warriors of the highest standard. Today, you shall be tested and evaluated in the Spring Forest."

Amber stepped forward. "By now, you will have heard the rumors of the formation of teams. This is correct. What the rumors will not have told you, is that those teams will be decided... _Today_."

A few gasps came from the students.

"Your teammates will remain your teammates until the end of your time here at Beacon." said Ozpin. "You should hope that they are both willing and able to work well with you."

"That being said," he continued. "The first person you make eye contact with after landing shall be your partner for the next four years."

Someone in the line of students gave a strangled "What?", while the rest whispered quietly to each other.

This information was, in fact, a lie. A white lie, but a lie nevertheless. Only a few knew it, but every pairing was decided beforehand, by the Headmaster and the Deputy. They couldn't leave something like that up to chance.

The launch pad's trajectories were pre-set to each student, based on their already displayed flying techniques and what partner they had been paired with.

But things don't always go right. Variables are overlooked. People are misjudged. Sometimes, the pairs were irrevocably _wrong_, both for the students involved and for their team.

"After pairing up, make your way to the eastern end of the forest. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path. Your enemies will be dangerous, and if you hesitate, _you will die._"

A few people laughed nervously, but Ozpin ignored them.

"You will be constantly monitored and evaluated throughout the initiation, but no instructor shall interfere. At the end of the path leading east, there will be several abandoned bunkers. Inside each are relics. Each pair must retrieve a relic, and return to the school."

"Any questions?"

You could have heard a pin drop in the crowd.

"Excellent! Now take your positions."

Everyone moved. Some were posed like they were about to start a sprint. Most had their knees bent, ready to take the sudden jolt.

Deputy Pamby started the countdown sequence.

The launch pads started activating, one by one, sending people flying upwards into the clouds, hopefully to land in the forest below.

Ozpin looked up at the sky, and watched the people falling.

"Good luck." he whispered quietly, so softly that not even Amber could hear it.

* * *

**_I don't want to hear your persecutions_**

Nyx Nightshade waited patiently on her own pad, around a quarter of the way down the line. She was standing as far forward as possible, hoping for minimum height. She wasn't a fan of great heights, especially with nothing to grab onto below her.

Despite this, when her time finally came, she still flew just as high as the person before her, even faster too.

Whatever, she wasn't scared. In fact, she enjoyed the rush it gave her, flying through the air like this. She knew she would land on her feet. She always did.

She took out her daggers and let herself get closer and closer to the golden tree tops, aiming for in-between two large oaks. She aimed the daggers. She threw them up softly, and before they could fall, smashed the palms of her hands into the ends of the hilts, right against the compressible Dust chambers. They shot outwards, still attached to the ribbons. The daggers spiraled away, her ribbons unraveling from her arms.

Her aim was true, and the daggers pierced both trees. She passed them both, centimeters to spare on either side.

The ribbons were a little stretchy, but the slack wouldn't be enough to slow her down without dislocating both her shoulders.

She slowed herself further by flipping around and gripping the ribbons, but they were unwinding fast. Too fast. Nyx gripped them tighter, starting to feel the heat bleed through the gloves and onto her hands.

And then they reached their end, giving an almighty yank on her arms. Thankfully, her Aura protected her from any serious damage, but it was a close thing.

Nyx swung back towards the two oak trees, still several meters off the ground. She yanked out both her daggers and dropped the rest of the way, landing lightly on all fours. She looked warily around herself before starting to walk east, heading towards the bunker.

* * *

Kaos Nomos had opted for a more simple landing. His braced his shoulder behind his shield and used the force of his descent to plow completely through two trees before landing in a roll on the ground, his momentum slowed enough. Yellow leaves fluttered around him.

He had his dagger out immediately, looking around him for any sign of danger. Satisfied that no Grimm was nearby, he relaxed, sheathing his blade, still ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

He picked a few splinters of wood out from his shield. They had been caught between his arrows. He spun the shield to check whether it was functioning correctly, and then walked deeper into the forest.

* * *

Click, click click. The sheath slowly flicked through several different colors before finally landing on black. Raven Branwen pulled out her katana as she flew. The blade didn't glow like most people would have expected. Instead, this one absorbed the light, giving it the appearance of sucking the color from its surroundings.

Damn, how she wished she was an actual raven Faunus instead of a wolf. Instead of using wings like they could, she would just have to time this exactly right. She broke through the yellow foliage, a few branches bouncing off her Aura. The ground was getting closer and closer until- BAM.

She hovered, caught by the swirling black vortex created by her weapon's slash. Her blade's Dust, now completely expended, stopped powering the vortex. A few seconds later she fell the last few centimeters, landing on one knee, head bowed.

She placed her blade, now just ordinary silver steel until she could refuel it, back in its sheath. The color the indicator now rested on was transparent, devoid of color.

The amount of force from her fall had completely exhausted the Dark Dust. She really hoped she wouldn't need it again today.

She stayed in her kneeling position, listening to the forest around her with her heightened senses. A few birds sang. No Grimm were close, otherwise the birds would have left.

The relative silence was broken by a loud thud as someone else landed nearby.

Should she attempt to find a partner so early? It would probably benefit her on the journey, as well as increasing the chance her partner was her twin.

She stood up, turned towards the noise, and started walking.

* * *

Harry tumbled through the air, flailing as he tried to right himself. The problem was that it was quite hard to stop spinning once you've got started.

He spread out his arms and legs, finally leveling out. Unfortunately, he was upside down. He spun around again, this time facing the rapidly approaching ground with his cloak flapping behind him.

He was going to land pretty soon, which brought up a point.

How exactly was he going to land?

Maybe he could try to use a Sigil. Since his arrival at Remnant, he had experimented a little with his Sigils.

The different energies he pushed into the wand corresponded to the main four Dust types. When he had tried waving a simple shape like a triangle, he had found that this pattern could summon those elements. Fire lit a small flame on the end of the wand, while Water shot a jet of water. Earth didn't do anything until he had put the tip of the wand on the table, and it started vibrating gently.

If he tried Air, and maybe put enough power into it...

His wand was out in a flash, moving in three quick movements. The golden triangle collapsed and he presumed that air started blowing out the end of the wand. He pushed harder, this time definitely feeling himself slow down.

The ground was only seconds away now. He blasted the energy through his arm as hard as he could. Closer, closer and- BAM.

A small cloud of dust rose up from the impact. A loud groan followed it.

"Oww" said Harry weakly. He rolled over onto his back, resolving to lie there until the pain went away. Nothing was broken, just severely bruised. His Aura had taken the brunt of it.

Back on the cliff top, Ozpin noted that Mr. Black's Aura level had already dropped to three quarters.

_Mr. Black would need to find a partner in the forest_, he thought, _And fast. He might not survive without one._

Harry heard heavy footsteps to his right, no doubt a Grimm attracted to his landing. He gritted his teeth and stood up, taking out his sword. He could still take out a Beowolf easily while he waited for his Aura to recharge a bit.

Unfortunately, this Grimm was quite a bit bigger than a Beowolf. Harry looked up. And looked up further.

Have you ever seen a praying mantis? Now scale it up ten times, a hundred times, until it's twice the size of an average person. Add bone armor to its back and underside. Sharpen the claws until they are almost see through. Make its reflexes literally faster than a speeding bullet.

And now you have a Pleading Prophet.

Its black bulbous eyes stared at him, waiting for him to move. The arms twitched expectantly.

"Oh fuck." summed up Harry eloquently.

* * *

_**This will be the day they've trained us for,**_

_**This will be the day we burst out through that door,**_

_**I don't want to hear your persecutions,**_


	8. Day And Night

**A/N To celebrate the start of Volume 3, I'm posting a double chapter. They're like 8k words each guys, insane. I only realised how long they were when I pasted a chapter in Word. _20 pages. Holy crap_. It also serves as an apology for how long I've kept you waiting.**

**Disclaimer: Read next chapter's disclaimer.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 8.**

**Day And Night Will Sever**

* * *

_**Getting ready for the execution,**_

Harry feinted left with his sword before swinging right, but the Grimm seemed to almost expect that, its returning flurry of attacks managing to pierce his Aura, before he could step back. The scratches on his face and neck healed as he concentrated on them.

He ran forward again, swinging his sword at its neck with no subtlety this time. But it moved with impossible speed, leaning just out of reach and knocking his sword to the side, putting Harry off balance. It took advantage of this and punched his chest.

The blow lifted him off the ground, and he slid on his back along the rough ground. This Grimm was fast. It was almost like it was predicting every move he made.

It stalked towards him, jerkily, like a clockwork machine,on those spindly legs, which didn't look like they could support a Grimm of that size. He dashed forward and slashed again with his sword, aiming low, but it deflected the strike with one arm.

_(/duck/)_

He ducked, not quite sure why, as the other claw came swinging round, barely missing his head. That was close. He was pretty sure he was missing a few of his more messier hairs.

Hey, maybe survival of the fittest meant those hairs would grow back to be a little less all over the place. Eh, probably not.

He used his momentum to slide forward under the beast, to try and attack its underside. It jumped over him, but he managed to cut at one of its legs.

He quickly got up and faced it again. It made a strange chattering noise at him, rubbing its claws together. He got the impression that it was angry.

He took out his wand, wondering if this was a deadly enough situation where his 'instincts' would finally take over, and maybe do something for once. Would the Grimm be fast enough to dodge a laser beam?

He never got the answer. The soft sound of metal on bone came suddenly from the Grimm. Both it and Harry looked at the source of the noise. A blade was pierced through the Grimm's chest, right through the center.

The Grimm seemed to be surprised, clawing angrily at the metal extending through its chest, and trying to turn its head to look at its attacker.

Harry took the opportunity and cut away its front legs, dropping it to its knees. He swung again and the Grimm, unable to stop the sharp blade, lost its head.

He looked through the gap where the head once was, and made eye contact with the girl standing on the Grimm's back.

* * *

"Mr. Black has met with Ms. Branwen." noted Amber, watching the video feed. "I still object to pairing those two together."

"I would be more concerned about Harry's Aura level." replied Ozpin, peering at his own screen. "Already at seventy percent. He took several hard hits, and his landing strategy was not quite up to par. Plus, an eighth of his Aura is still locked away in that projection of his."

"And meanwhile Miss Branwen has almost all of her Aura left. A good example of how Dust users are more efficient than Aura manipulators." said Amber, one eyebrow raised.

"Ah, but Aura is more versatile and powerful." countered Ozpin.

"In the hands of a professional, yes. But an amnesiac?" asked Amber rhetorically. She shook her head. "Mr. Black will have to practice if he wishes to survive."

* * *

Raven looked back at the green-eyed boy, wondering how she was going to survive fours years of Beacon Academy with someone who didn't look like he knew how to use a sword properly.

"Hey Harry." she said, only letting a little bit of disappointment creep into her voice. "I guess we're partners now."

"Hi Raven!" The green-eyed boy said, relieved, putting his stick away. She still hadn't seen how it worked. Personally, she was betting on Dust projectiles. "Am I glad to see you. How'd you sneak up behind that Grimm so quietly?"

"Oh please. I'm a Wolf Faunus. A predator. Sneaking up on something is easy. Plus, those sort of Grimm are best taken care of in pairs anyway. Someone loud to distract and someone quiet to attack."

Harry frowned. Maybe he realized that was an insult. "Hey! I totally had it under control."

"Pfft"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

They both started walking to the east, still bickering good-naturedly.

"You know what?" said Raven. "I bet I can kill more Grimm than you."

"In the initiation? Or over the whole year?"

"From now till the last day of the school year."

"We might need someone to referee."

"Our future teammates can act as judges." suggested Raven.

"Good idea."

They broke out of the forest onto the edge of a ravine. The opposite side was a stone wall, towering above them. Maybe in the distant past, an earthquake had split the ground and raised one side far above the other.

A wide stone bridge hung across the chasm, half-broken pillars trailing along each side. The ravine continued off into the distance, and Harry spotted more constructions to either side. Opposite them, there was a tall natural opening, but obviously tampered by man. The archway was unnaturally round, and strange eldritch runes were carved at even intervals. Gargoyles adorned either side, stone faces contorted in pain.

It was thoroughly creepy.

"Uh... Ladies first." said Harry.

"Oh, how chivalrous." muttered Raven, stepping warily out onto the bridge.

* * *

In another part of the forest, another pair of aspiring Hunters had made eye contact. Yellow watched blue, and blue stared into yellow.

"Hello." said Kaos warily, not sheathing his short sword.

The yellow-eyed girl jumped down from the tree branch she had been perched on, landing with a whisper of noise.

"Well, hello there," she said playfully, "You're Kaos Nomos, right? Of Nomos Industries?"

He wasn't surprised that she knew who he was.

"Correct. And you are...?"

"Nightshade. Nyx Nightshade." She smiled a little wider.

Neither made a move forward to shake hands.

"Well, Miss Nightshade, I do believe we are partners."

She only nodded, still grinning.

* * *

"This was another partnership I disapproved of. Ms. Nightshade's maneuverability clashes with Mr. Nomos' closer range and solid stance."

"Ah, but given time," interjected Ozpin, "They will adapt to each other and their strategy will evolve to become extremely effective. Perhaps more so than the average pair."

She frowned. "Yes, but what about in the short term? Their different personalities and upbringings may set them apart before they can even attempt to work together."

* * *

Nyx's new partner broke the silence first. "What were you doing in that tree?" he asked.

"There aren't that many Grimm up there." she lied. Technically though, it was true. The Ursa and Beowolves couldn't climb, and Nevermores had trouble coming down through the branches. On the other hand, there were all sorts of strange Grimm around, and some might actually live up there.

"But what about the ones that actually live up there?" Kaos persisted.

"Who cares about -"

As if Lady Fate had heard her, Nyx heard the leaves rustle above her. She looked up and saw nothing. Well, almost nothing. She caught a glimpse of colour that should not have been among the yellow leaves. The colour of blood.

She dived to the side as the Grimm leapt down.

"You were saying?" Asked Kaos sarcastically, before raising his shield and shooting an arrow at the horned Grimm. Nyx gritted her teeth and stood up.

As Grimm went, this one was pitifully small, barely a meter long. It resembled a large multicolored lizard with sharp claws. The majority of it was yellow, probably for camouflage among the golden foliage.

It dodged Kaos' arrow and scuttled towards the nearest tree, already pre-emptively changing colors to match the brown of the tree trunk. Nyx headed it off, swinging her dagger at it. It dodged again, swinging its spiked tail at her as it ran to the right. She sidestepped it easily.

It started changing color again, to a darker shade of brown, blending in with the muddy ground.

It was harder to see, but its outline was still visible. Obviously this was a stealth oriented Grimm, but now that its cover was blown, it needed an escape. They were just getting in its way.

Kaos prepared another arrow, trying to kill it before it got away, but Nyx decided to act first. She threw her dagger, not at the Grimm, but at Kaos, who raised his shield in reflex. The dagger hit it hilt first and, with a bang like a gunshot, it ricocheted off, swinging on its ribbon. At the end of the arc was the Grimm, which gave a tremendous squeal before collapsing. Nyx gave a yank on her ribbon, pulling the dagger out of the beast's eye.

"A little warning next time." said Kaos, checking his shield for damage. "What in Monty's name is in that dagger?"

"A Dust with a Flame and Air Mixture and a high percentage of Light." replied Nyx. "The dealer called it Speed Dust."

The Flame of the Dust was the explosive part, whereas the Air was for lightness. High percentage of Light meant it travelled faster, in expense of the other aspects.

The Dust compartment in the hilt was designed to propel the dagger at higher speeds, rather than just completely explode on impact. It did do less damage to an enemy as a result, but the speed more than made up for that.

After seeing it used by an opponent in a fighting match a couple of years ago, it had taken her weeks to find the guy who had made it, and a few more days to... 'persuade' him to tell her the recipe.

"Where did you get it?" asked Kaos, curious.

"Just a random dealer." smoothly lied Nyx. Like she would trust a Nomos with that information. Nomos Industries weren't exactly the most trustworthy company. They tended to exploit the customers, stealing designs, recipes and ideas, then profiting from them. "In fact, I believe he was thinking of selling it to the Schnee Dust Company." she added slyly, just to see how he would react.

Kaos had turned around, checking on the carcass, so she didn't get to see the expression on his face when she mentioned his father's rival company. But she did find the lack of response interesting.

The Schnee Dust company was one of the main causes behind the slow decline of Nomos Industries, along with an extremely sour public opinion.

Was the apathy due to being second in line? He still had a good chance to inherit the company if his older sister didn't want it.

Nyx turned her attention back to the Grimm.

The colours of its camouflage were mixing into each other, fading in a few places, and gathering in the rest. The colours finally settled into monochrome, a white mask and bone spines, with black everywhere else.

It had already started to evaporate, being so small. Kaos ran his fingers over the two horns on its head, as they too dissolved into nothingness.

* * *

"Are these the relics?" asked Harry, picking one up. "Chess pieces?"

He tossed the piece, a black knight, to Raven. They were both standing in the creepy doorway, which was a lot larger closer up. At the very center were four raised pedestals, each with a relic placed on top.

"I guess." she replied, inspecting it closer. It was wooden, maybe ebony, not marble or plastic. The white pieces could have been holly. "But there's only the four knights here. Where are the rest?"

"Maybe the other teams already retrieved them?"

She frowned. "They couldn't have. We would have seen them. Besides, there's only four pedestals."

Harry shrugged. "Who cares? Let's just start heading back."

"No, wait. Maybe the rest of the relics are down here." She peered into the darkness beyond the doorway. She took a couple of steps down the even creepier staircase and Harry followed, rolling his eyes.

"We only _need_ one, Raven."

He pushed the energy that corresponded to Light into his wand, the resulting glow showing even more scribbles carved into the floor.

"And I'm not really in the mood to be killed by a Dust powered trap." he added, looking warily at the markings decorating each step. He brushed away a cobweb that threatened to cling to his face.

"Don't be silly. This place is probably centuries old. There can't be anything that advanc-"

The click echoed off the walls.

Harry looked down. The stone beneath his foot was glowing orange.

"Move!" Harry jumped forward, past Raven, not caring about the darkness. He stepped on another rune, and slipped as it glowed blue and lost all friction. He started tumbling down the stairs, his Aura protecting him from bruising.

Raven was running behind him as he rolled down, trying not to step on any more raised tiles.

Behind them, a little late, some of the traps started triggering. A spout of fire spewed from the first one, and a spike erupted from the ground from another. A few just made horrible noises as the hidden machinery broke after decades of neglect.

Thankfully Harry landed in something soft at the bottom of the steps. He was still clutching his wand, tip still lit. He groaned.

"Told you so." he finally spat at Raven as she crouched next to him, shadows cast across her face by the meagre wand-light.

"Hey Harry." she said quietly, ignoring him, eyes fixed on something behind him. "Have you ever heard the phrase '_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_'?"

Harry frowned. What did she mean? He tried to sit up but realised he couldn't. His arms were stuck. He took a closer look at the soft thing he had landed on. It was made of hundreds of white, silky and very sticky threads.

_Oh no._

He looked behind him into the darkness. There, just beyond the very edge of his wand light, glowed a cluster of eight angry red eyes.

_(/nox/)_

* * *

Summer was running through the forest, trying not to stay in one place for too long and attract the Grimm.

She dodged around another tree, thinking about her chances in partners. She really hadn't interacted enough with any other students like Taiyang had suggested. She knew of six other Hunters at Beacon, two of which were out immediately. She didn't want to get paired with Arc the racist nor Fall the psycho.

She danced around another tree, coming face to face with a surprised Beowolf on the other side. Without even pausing she leapt straight over it. It spun around, howling, trying to attract its brethren, and raced after her.

Black seemed... nice, but a little clumsy. Neopolitan was the opposite. Mute and unfriendly, but graceful, with a good sense of movement.

She glanced behind herself. A whole pack of Beowolves were following now, sprinting behind her, trying to catch up. They wouldn't, of course. She was a lot faster.

As a partner, she would prefer one of those twins from Signal, maybe the female Faunus, as she might be more understanding.

And last, and of course, the least wanted, there was-

She skidded to a stop as Tai came bolting out of the woods in front of her, predictably running the wrong way. He stopped too and she looked into his lilac eyes for a long second.

Of all her luck. Getting stuck with that immature, nosy, hotheaded Huntsman for another fours years _on top_ of the six at Morse. Why was Lady Fate so cruel?

"Taiyang." she said, through gritted teeth. The '_you son of a bitch_' was left unspoken. "You're running in the wrong direction." Maybe she would get lucky and he was already paired and was returning to the school.

"Nah, _partner._" he said, stretching out the word, clearly enjoying her irritation. "I heard some howls over here."

Crap. She had forgotten about the Beowolves.

She looked back again, and sure enough, they were seconds away. Too late to try and run, and she would end up leaving her new and unwanted partner behind anyway.

Tai put on his gleaming knuckle-dusters. He opened his hands to reveal a golden revolver in each palm, clicking into position with a flick of the wrist. He started firing into the wolf pack.

To Summer's surprise, small tongues of flame spat out the barrel at every shot. Clearly he had done a little experimenting over the holidays and changed to Fire Dust bullets. A little expensive and with less stopping power, but great for the speciality factor. A few of the Beowolves ignited when they were hit, but they cared more about the bullets than the flame.

Summer unsheathed a cutlass and started firing too, with standard Dust ammunition and a little more accuracy. The pistols in the hilt of her cutlasses tended to do well at a longer range than Tai's.

Tai ran out of bullets, so he flicked the revolver back to knuckle-duster mode. He ran forward, uppercutted the first Beowolf, still mildly on fire, and spun quickly around to elbow it the stomach, sending it flying backwards almost comically, putting out the flames. The next one was punched right in the nose, and it whimpered as it slid across the ground.

Meanwhile Summer decapitated the first Grimm to reach her, then twirled her cutlass around to slice the arm off another one. She stabbed the one with the missing arm in the chest with her other cutlass, and used the dying Grimm as a springboard to jump over the last Beowolf, who had tried to sneak up behind her. She cut through its spine before it could turn around and face her, leaving it to convulse on the ground.

"Show off."

"At least I killed more than you did." said Summer as she put her last bullet in the struggling Grimm's head. They both reloaded. She noted that Tai's revolver cartridge was now a bright red, with flame decals. Her own ammo was undecorated.

"No way!" said Tai, gesturing at the flaming bodies. "I killed way more."

"A lot of the ones on fire you didn't actually kill. I shot them."

"Oh yeah?" said Tai. "Care to put a bet on it? The teachers probably recorded it."

"No. I don't want to put a wager on something I know I won."

"Spoilsport."

* * *

"Poor Ms. Rose. I don't believe she quite wanted this pairing, despite her unwillingness to meet new people. Do you think she would have preferred a total stranger over a long known acquaintance?" mused Amber.

"In Mr. Xiao Long's case, almost certainly. But think of it this way. They've already trained for six years, except as rivals, not partners. They know all of each other's moves and strategies. And, they don't quite hate each other. A certain dislike, perhaps, but otherwise..."

"In that case, why didn't we partner Mr. Arc and Ms. Fall?" she asked. "Who, I notice, have found each other anyway."

"That is a different situation entirely." said Ozpin, face grave. "I simply did not think that that partnership would be ideal, in light of their relationship."

* * *

The silent figure watched the boy from the bushes. His weapon, a strange mixture of a scythe and a shotgun, flashed silver as it spun through the air, embedding itself in the skull of the biggest of the three bear-like Grimm around him. He fired, the blade ripping out again with the recoil and it fell to the ground, dead.

The rest of his momentum spun him around, but he used it to cut at the legs of the second biggest Ursa. Unfortunately, the scythe hit only bone armor, forcing him to retreat a few steps and shoot it in the face.

The third beast, smaller and a little craftier than the others, had been sneaking up behind him. It forced the watcher to make a choice. Was this student good enough, skilled enough, to become her partner? Was anyone really?

As the Grimm got within grabbing distance of the oblivious boy, a wooden handle hooked around its leg. It looked down in surprise.

Neopolitan gave it a yank with much more strength than she should have had, and it fell to the ground with a thump that made the boy turn around.

She looked into his green eyes as she slid her blade out of the shaft of her umbrella.

She blinked, and her brown eyes turned white as she plunged the rapier down into the eye of the unfortunate beast.

* * *

"A more perfect match, I couldn't ask for. Mr. Branwen's extreme short range offense combined with Ms. Neo's robust defence, along with their combined sense of movement is near perfect."

Ozpin frowned. "What about her muteness though? How will it affect team communication if she barely ever talks?"

* * *

"Summer," yelled Tai. "Come look at this!"

She rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time and shouted back into the bushes. "Hurry up Tai! We don't have all day!"

"Seriously, Summer. You're going to want to see this."

She pushed aside the branches and stepped through, careful not to get caught on anything. Her irritated mutterings on the topic of Tai's brain size were interrupted by her jaw dropping.

"Cool right?" said Tai, grinning from his position atop the head of the giant winged Grimm that lay before her.

It was nearly seven meters long, wings wrapped around itself, eyes closed. A distinctive spiky crown adorned its head, marking it as a member of a very special Grimm family.

"Tai, that's a-a Lindrac. A small one, but a Lindrac nevertheless. How in Oum's name did you...?"

"Don't be stupid, I didn't kill it. It was obviously someone else, probably a teacher to be honest, and it just hasn't dissolved yet."

Summer moved around the side of the body to inspect it closer. The armor didn't seem to have suffered any sort of damage, nor the skin. It was just sitting there in a small trench carved into the ground , like it had been swatted out of the sky.

"I mean, it's not breathing." added Tai.

"Most Grimm don't need to." replied Summer quietly, inspecting it closer. She ran a hand along the cold scales "They sometimes use it for communication, like Beowolves howling. Or in the Lindrac's case, as a weapon."

"Yada, yada, yada." said Tai, flapping his hand like a mouth. He climbed further up the body. "Boring. Why do you spout facts like an encyclopedia?"

"There is one important fact I would like to point out." whispered Summer, wincing at every step Tai took.

"What?"

"Even the biggest Grimm, such as Behemoths and Goliaths, start to dissolve after seven hours." She rubbed her fingers together. "These scales haven't even begun to dissipate. Not to mention, the teachers haven't been out since last night and we would have heard the commotion if another student killed a Lindrac. So, if the Grimm can't be dead, that leaves only one option."

Tai paled as he thought it through. He froze, one foot still hovering above the scales. "You mean it's...?"

"Unconscious? Yes." She backed away slowly as the beast began to twitch. "Run." she added, rather unnecessarily.

Tai jumped forward, breaking into a sprint, Summer already out of sight. Behind them, roaring at those who disturbed its peace, awoke the beast.

* * *

"Oh dear." said Ozpin. "I guess we found where the Lindrac got to."

"Oh no. Should we...?"

"No. We can't interfere."

* * *

"You set me on fire!"

"I warned you, didn't I?"

"'_Out of the frying pan and into the fire_' is not a warning! I'm not going into a fire, you're the one setting me on fire!"

"Look, I only did it because the spider silk is extremely flammable."

"But I was in the web! And when you set it on fire, you set _me_ on fire!"

"To get you out of it!"

"Couldn't you have cut it with your katana?"

"I did!"

_"Not the burning one! The regular one!"_

Harry and Raven's arguing was interrupted by the arrival of another pair of students from the forest bordering the ravine.

"Hey sis. Hey Harry."

"Oh, hi Qrow." replied Raven, turning to the newcomers.

"She set me on fire." accused Harry, pointing.

"So I heard."

"Who's your partner?" Raven asked, gesturing at the girl with multi-colored hair.

"She doesn't seem to talk much, or at all. All she said was her name; Neopolitan."

"Huh. Well, I'm Raven, Qrow's twin."

"Harry Black." added Harry. "The relics are back across the bridge if you're wondering." He pointed a thumb over his slightly smoking shoulder.

"Yeah, I see them. Right underneath that spider Grimm." noted Qrow.

"What?!" exclaimed Harry, whirling around. The Grimm was perched above the relics, already building a web in the massive doorway."Aw crap, it must have followed us out."

"Oh well." said Raven, shrugging. She strode past Qrow and Neopolitan. "Try not to die, bro."

"Wait, you're not going to help us?"

"Nope." replied Raven.

"But you lured it out!" protested Qrow.

"Technically Harry did." countered Raven. "It was following his shrieks of "_I'm on fire_!" and "_Help!_""

Harry gave her a sour look.

"And anyway, we already got the relic." she continued, tossing the chess piece in the air as she walked away. Harry followed, sending an apologetic look back at Qrow.

"Bitch!" Qrow shouted after them.

"Human!" Raven called back mockingly.

Neopolitan raised an eyebrow.

"Inside joke." explained Qrow.

Raven and Harry passed another pair of students as they entered the forest.

"Good luck." said Harry.

Kaos and Nyx took one look at the bridge, and the framework of a web stretching from pillar to pillar and gave twin sighs of exasperation.

"I bet you," said Nyx, pointing at the entrance to the cave, "The relics are going to be_ riiiight_ there."

* * *

Tai ran as fast as he could through the woods.

_"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap._" The Lindrac was gaining on him, mowing down the trees behind him. Every time it hit a tree, it would slowly fall and then land with a thump.

"Run faster Tai!" shouted Summer from way in front of him.

_No shit._

He ducked another burst of flames. His Aura struggled to protect him, and a few of the hairs on his neck went up in smoke. Hair was always the first thing to go.

The Lindrac were on the list of the most dangerous Grimm in the world for good reason.

Scaly, armored, fire-breathing, metal-jawed lizards. Not to mention ugly. They should also be able to fly, but this one seemed strangely grounded. This was only reason it hadn't already caught up to him. Tai could dodge around the trees, but the Grimm had to take time to knock them down or, -Tai ducked another jet of flames- burn through them. Toppled trees and small forest fires lay in their wake.

Their fire breath was their greatest weapon. Sure, a Hunter's Aura could take a few hits from the tail or the wings or the claws or the other multitude of body parts, but all Hunters needed oxygen. The torrent of flames would surround you, either whittling away your Aura until it could penetrate and burn you to an ash, or else suffocate you until you fell unconscious and burned anyway.

* * *

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Silly question, but can you hear a thumping noise?"

He cocked his head and listened for a moment. "No?" he said, confused.

"Well, I can. And it's getting closer."

"From which direction?"

She pointed forward, towards the school.

Harry sighed. "Of course it is."

"So what should we do? Go back? Go around?"

"Let's just keep going forward."

They continued on for a few more meters before Raven stopped again.

"Harry."

"Yeah yeah, I can hear the thumping now." The leaves were fluttering down from the trees.

"No, not that. I can hear footsteps. There's two of them. Both breathing pretty heavily."

"Running from whatever is causing the noise, I guess."

"We only have a few seconds. Let's just move to the side before they get to us."

_(/agree/)_

"No." said Harry, shaking his head, partially to convey his disagreement, and partially to convince himself. "We should help them."

"Why? What's the point?"

"Does there have to be a reason?" countered Harry, drawing his wand and running forward.

Raven rolled her eyes and followed.

* * *

One pair ran from the Lindrac.

The other pair ran towards it.

Somehow, rather stupidly, they both collided.

Painfully.

* * *

"Oww" complained Harry as he sat up. He squinted at the figure above him. "Summer?"

"You know these guys?" asked Raven as she helped a dazed Tai up.

"Yeah, I met them-"

"No time for introductions!" interrupted Summer, frantically looking backwards. "There's a Lindrac coming!"

"A what?!" exclaimed Raven.

"A what?" echoed Harry, more in confusion than in surprise.

The 'what' burst through the trees, leaves and branches scattering everywhere.

_(/a dragon/)_

"Oh..." said Harry weakly. "A Lindrac."

It opened its mouth and Harry looked past the iron teeth and straight into the roiling inferno at the back of its throat.

* * *

"Damn it, Raven." Qrow muttered. "Why did you have to set Harry on fire?"

The other pair were going to help them fight that stupid spider. The guy had red hair, though it was covered by his hat. The other one, Nyx, was halfway up the nearest pillar, trying to get a better view of the Grimm.

"Look, the way I see it, we have two options." said Nyx after she jumped down. "Option one; Two of us distract it, while the other two attempt to grab the relics. Option two; We all try and kill it."

"I vote for option two." said the redhead, pointing up at where it sat, the middle of its web. "From the looks of it, it's not a particularly strong Grimm, just old and armoured."

"But we have no advantage over it Kaos. We can't just rush headlong into its web. If it stays there, we can't touch it." argued Nyx.

"Then a compromise. You and Nyx have the more long ranged weapons," said Qrow, noting Kaos' arrow shield and Nyx's ribbons, "While Neo and I have the short-range. You two distract it while we try and sneak through to the relics. If it does notice us, then we're in a better position to attack. Agreed?"

They nodded.

Kaos and Nyx ran forward first, the Grimm getting ready for their attack. It unfolded its legs from beneath itself, suddenly appearing to be twice as big, and jumped down onto the bridge.

Meanwhile Qrow and Neopolitan snuck off to the side, hiding their movements behind a pillar. They lowered themselves off the side of the bridge, balancing on the thin gutter-like skirting.

They edged their way along. Qrow snuck a look into the ravine, and immediately pulled his head back. He wasn't normally one for a fear of heights, but this was something else. It extended so far down even the midday sun didn't reach the bottom. Neo was looking fearlessly forwards. She was crouching, balanced perfectly, not holding the stone with the death grip Qrow was.

When he judged that they had gone far enough, Qrow stuck his head up. He caught a glimpse of the white splotch of armor on the Grimm's abdomen, and Kaos and Nyx on the other side of it.

They had allowed the Grimm to approach closer, giving Qrow and Neopolitan more room to manoeuvre.

Nyx threw her dagger lightly, and the Grimm dodged easily, lifting itself up on those long legs. But she was relying on that. The slow moving blade hit the ground underneath the Deadback, propelling itself upwards in a sudden burst of speed.

The spider gave a full body spasm as the blade pierced its abdomen, and Kaos took the opportunity to fire an arrow at one of its eyes.

Qrow gave a hand signal to Neopolitan, and they both clambered up silently behind it.

It was so tempting to simply attack it now, while it was unaware, but Qrow knew he couldn't get past that black armor.

They stepped into the entrance of the funnel shaped web. Qrow saw an immediate problem. The inside was crossed with hundreds of threads, barely visible to the naked eye. He touched one. It was sticky, and he had to peel his finger away from it. He swore quietly.

Neopolitan nodded, already realising the futility of trying to get past the threads.

A few more bangs alerted him to the battle behind him. Nyx and Kaos were pushing back the spider.

Nyx was swinging her daggers around her at high speed, accompanied by gunshot sounds as she accelerated them with her Dust. They moved at speeds that made it look like there were more than just two blades. She was slowly approaching the spider, almost daring it to attack. Kaos was firing arrows from his shield, but the spider was blocking pretty much all of them.

The Deadback placed one leg forward, entering Nyx's weapon radius. They quickly wrapped around it, and Nyx's gave a tug, forcing the Grimm off-balance for a few moments. Kaos shot an arrow, and it actually landed, piercing one eye.

It pulled back on the ribbon, and Nyx's was forced to abandon her hold on its leg, winding the ribbons around her arms again.

Any second now, the damaged spider would retreat and turn to its web, and Qrow and Neopolitan would be in serious trouble.

Screw it. They couldn't get through the web so he wouldn't waste more time sneaking around. No, he had to take direct action.

He unfolded his scythe, pointing the gun in the spiders direction. It heard the mechanical sound, turning around. With a practiced movement, he jumped, placing one foot on the sight of his gun and firing. The recoil sent him backwards further into the web, while the spider got a face full of buckshot.

Nyx sprinted forward and attacked from behind, jumping on top of its abdomen and stabbing with both daggers to try and keep a grip. Unfortunately, one blade skidded of the streak of white in the middle of the spider's abdomen. Kaos leapt too, using the arrow heads of his shield to tether himself, reaching out to Nyx with his other hand to hold them both on as the spider tried violently to buck them off.

Neopolitan moved forward, stepping to one side as a pointed leg tried to impale her, using her unfolded umbrella to deflect another. She got within striking distance before the spider tried another tactic. Its abdomen curled downwards, throwing Nyx and Kaos off. It shot its _web_ at Neopolitan, surprising her. It caught her leg as she tried to dodge, sending her spinning backwards.

Meanwhile, Qrow was struggling to extricate himself from the web he had caught himself in. While the scythe had done a great job cutting the threads, he hadn't taken into consideration getting stuck himself. He tried to cut himself free, but couldn't get the scythe into the right position. So he turned the weapon around, pointing the barrel of his shotgun further into the web.

The first shot didn't quite tear him out. Instead, all the recoil that would normally have pushed him away was forced into his arm, the Aura taking the brunt of it. The second shot succeeded, and he rolled across the ground a couple of times before coming to a stop.

He got up just in time to get knocked down by Neo as she skidded backwards. They both stood up again, scraping off as much web as they could.

Nyx and Kaos had got to their feet on the other side of the spider, prepared to attack.

They had the advantage now. The spider was surrounded, half blinded by buckshot and dagger wounds on its back, unable to retreat into its web. But this was an old Grimm, maybe even centuries old, and thus, it was smart.

It scuttled sideways, jumping_ off_ the bridge.

* * *

_**We're not afraid of our immolation,**_

Harry watched the scene unfold as if it were in slow motion. Summer and Tai were already poised to run, but it would be too late, too close. Raven's sheath was rotating slowly and her fingers were tightly gripped around the handle.

Harry's arm, already holding his wand out, began moving in a pattern, muscle reflexes ingrained by hours of practice. And maybe also propelled by a hint of 'instinct'.

_(/protego/)_

The first tongues of flame exited the Lindrac's mouth as Raven stepped forward. She almost drew her katana, but she paused.

She tapped the green hemisphere that was the only thing between them and a fiery death.

"What is this? An extended Aura shield?"

"No." grunted Harry, his face showing signs of strain as he held his wand forward, holding back the torrent of fire. "Aura manipulation."

"That's awesome!" Raven said, turning to him with a manic look in her eyes. "I could extrapolate my Dust mixtures from your ... What do you call them?"

"Sigils." gasped Harry. The flames still hadn't stopped. While they were easier to hold back than solid objects, he was still blocking a lot of energy. Some of the energy was leaking through though, and the temperature was rising steadily.

"I just need to get my equipment from home, and my-"

Tai gave a polite cough and pointed.

"Oh yeah, the Lindrac." Said Raven, turning around. "I forgot."

"How could you just _forget_ the ten ton Grimm trying to kill us?" asked Tai.

"Well, Manipulation is such an antiquated art these days, and-"

The Lindrac finally stopped breathing fire, confused as to why its victims weren't charred pieces of meat by now.

They all started running again as the shield dispersed, except Harry. Tai and Raven were further away, so Summer grabbed him when he fell.

The Lindrac didn't try to breathe fire again, maybe thinking that they were immune. It must be a younger Grimm to be that dumb.

Summer held Harry bridal style, as she struggled to catch up with Raven and Tai. The extra weight was too much for her, and the Grimm was catching up.

Ahead, Tai was shouting to Raven as they ran.

"We need to slow it down somehow!"

"I've got an idea!" Raven shouted back.

She stopped as they entered a clearing and Tai skidded to a halt behind her. "Are you mad? Keep running."

She ignored him and placed one hand on the handle of her katana. The color indicator started clicking, as it moved from blue over a couple of empty sections and stopped as it got to pure white.

"When I say, start shooting."

"What?"

There was no time to explain as the Lindrac leapt over another set of trees, wings extended. It seemed to have remembered how to fly.

Raven drew her sword. It blinded both Tai and the Grimm, but she was prepared for the glow it would produce, turning her head away.

"Now!" She barked, slashing down with her sword in the Lindrac's general direction. It created a whirling vortex between the two Hunters and the Grimm. Tai unfolded both his revolvers and started shooting wildly into the swirling white.

Unseen by either of them, the bullets shot out the other side at almost supersonic speeds, breaking the sound barrier with bangs that could be heard by even Ozpin and Amber. Some of the shots missed the Grimm by miles, exiting the vortex in almost random directions. One even managed to make it back to the city and embed itself in the city wall. Others ripped through tree trunks, sending splinters everywhere.

But many hit the Lindrac.

Unable to penetrate the scaly armour, the bullets instead transferred all their added momentum to the beast, resulting in quite the knockback affect.

Tai blinked away the afterimage as the vortex disappeared and the space behind it was empty.

"That might get it off our back." said Raven, placing her, now very ordinary, katana back in its sheath.

"What did you do?" asked Tai, still rubbing his eyes.

"I used my Light Dust to increase the speed of your bullets tenfold."

"So the bullets were traveling super fast?"

"Probably not hard enough to penetrate the Lindrac's armour, but fast enough to knock it back far enough for us to get away.

"Cool."

They stood there in silence for a few seconds, admiring the rut of destruction through the forest that both they and the Grimm had caused.

"I almost forgot to introduce myself." said Tai, extending a hand. "Taiyang Xiao Long, but please, call me Tai."

"Raven Branwen." They shook.

"Should we go find Summer and Harry?" Tai asked "I hope they weren't eaten or burnt to a crisp."

"No need to worry." said Summer as she emerged from the bushes, supporting a disoriented Harry.

"Hey! Wait a second! How'd you get in front of us?" exclaimed Tai, looking from Summer to the destruction and back again.

"You already know I'm a lot faster than you."

"No way are you that fast, especially if you were carrying someone." He noticed Harry was looking a bit woozy. "Hey, dude. You feeling alright?"

"Were we... flying?" slurred Harry, head drooping.

"Evidently not." said Summer. "I'll carry him."

"We still need a relic." said Tai as they started moving again.

"You mean like this one?" said Raven, fishing out the black chess piece from her cloak. "We're probably pretty close to the place by now. Me and Harry were heading back to the school, but I guess I can show you."

A loud roar came from the forest behind them.

They froze and looked at each other.

"What?!" exclaimed Raven. "The Lindrac couldn't have tracked us that fast, unless..."

She turned to Tai quickly.

"Those bullets you shot." she growled, "They didn't happen to be non-standard ammunition, did they?"

"Yeah. Burn Dust. Does that matter?"

"Idiot!" she barked, with real anger. "Burn Dust has next to no stopping power, and barely any initial speed to be compounded by my Light!"

"Well I didn't know I was going to be shooting it into some crazy vortex!"

Harry perked his head up as the pair started to argue. "Are we gonna start running again?" he asked Summer quietly.

Another roar. Closer this time. Both Tai and Raven shut up.

"Yep." replied Summer, helping Harry up again.

* * *

"What the..?" muttered Qrow as the Deadback disappeared over the side of the bridge.

They stumbled as the whole structure shuddered slightly. Nyx had to dive forward as a crack appeared and the leg of the spider suddenly thrust its way out.

Another leg came through the bridge, sending cobblestones flying.

"It's underneath us!" shouted Kaos as she tried to stab at a leg. His dagger just slid off, and he had to roll as the spider, alerted to his position, sent another leg up.

"No shit!" replied Nyx, dodging away again.

Qrow swung his scythe with both hands at the nearest leg. It didn't manage to penetrate the armour as it hooked around it. So he fired. With a nasty crack that had nothing to do with the gunshot, the leg broke from the recoil. It looked limp and twitched slightly.

The spider tried to pull it back, but it was stuck, forcing the Grimm to attack with its other limbs.

The Grimm was attacking faster and faster now, not willing to risk getting another limb stuck. It was turning into a demented game of Whack-A-Mole, as the spider's legs stabbed up through the holes it had already made, or else new ones. It even seemed to be sensing their footsteps through vibration and adjusting accordingly.

Qrow could see this wasn't going to end soon. Grimm were infamous for not giving up, not getting tired, while humans, not so much. The spider would win this fight, unless...

The whole bridge was destablised now, cracks running from hole to hole. Here and there, sections were giving way entirely. He watched as Kaos narrowly avoided falling off, leaping back to the bridge as the stone crumbled.

One leg was still twitching away at the edge of the bridge, forcing the Deadback to attack within a certain radius.

A plan began to form in Qrow's mind.

"Kaos!" he shouted. Kaos looked at him. "Go near the injured leg! Make noise! Use your shield to block the attack!"

Kaos didn't question him. He sprinted, taking off his shield as he ran. He jumped on it, sliding the last few meters like he was on a sled. The shield scraped along the ground quite loudly, and Qrow knew the spider had heard it. Another leg stabbed up, directly under the Kaos, sending him flying back before he reached the leg.

It was close enough for what he planned.

"Neo! Hit the injured leg!"

She nodded, already running. She did a cartwheel as a leg came up beneath her, opening her umbrella to block it.

Qrow absentmindedly wondered how the frilly, partially transparent light brown umbrella was able to block so much damage.

The force sent Neo high in the air. She opened her umbrella at the top of her arc, slowing her down enough to control her descent. She closed the umbrella and came down directly on the injured leg, smashing it.

A horrible screech came from below, as the spider tried yet again to pull its leg free.

Qrow watched in glee as a crack ran from the edge of the bridge, first to the hole the spider had made attacking Kaos, then to the one from Neo, and finally back off the bridge again.

The whole section of the bridge came free. With Neo still on it.

She ran up the side of the falling piece of masonry, kicking off the edge and, with a front flip, landed back on the bridge.

Qrow looked over the crumbling edge at the spider. It was struggling to pull its leg free from the several tons of stone it was still tethered to. Any heavier, and the fall would have pulled the leg plain off. It was tethered to the bridge itself by another leg, but the weight was making it slip.

"Nyx, pass me a dagger." He reloaded his shotgun, then wrapped the ribbon around his wrist and took a few steps back, unfolding his scythe behind him. Kaos caught on to what he was doing, and grabbed Nyx's ribbon too. Qrow ran forward, and leapt off the bridge.

He swung back beneath the stonework, stretching out his other hand to hook his scythe around the spider's leg. He pulled himself into position, one foot on the shotgun sight, completely horizontal.

Before, this had broken the Grimm's leg. Now though, the leg was pulled taut like a rubber band, where the slightest pressure would make it snap.

The Deadback, as if sensing its doom, tried one last time to attack. It drew back a leg to stab at him.

He pulled the trigger.

The blade severed the straining leg easily and Qrow was pushed back by the sheer amount of leftover recoil. He swung around in a long arc on the end of Nyx's ribbon.

He landed back on the bridge as the spider disappeared into the darkness of the chasm. None of them spoke until they heard the sick crunch as it hit the bottom.

"Well." said Nyx lightly. "That was fun."

Neo rolled her eyes, the most human gesture Qrow had seen from her yet.

"Let's get those relics." he said triumphantly.

"There's just one small problem." pointed out Kaos.

At some point during the battle, the pillars along either side of the bridge had fallen down. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, except that these pillars were the supports of the spiderweb. Which meant the relics were now buried under several tons of collapsed sticky, white web.

"Oh, _come on_."

* * *

_**Getting ready for the execution,  
**__**We're not afraid of our immolation,**_


	9. Hope And Peace

**Disclaimer: Read last chapter's disclaimer.**

* * *

**Chapter 9:**

**Hope and Peace Are Lost Forever**

* * *

_**Welcome to the world of light and darkness fusion.**_

"This is so boring!" moaned Nyx impatiently.

Kaos rolled his eyes. "Just keep digging."

Qrow watched Nyx slice her daggers into the soft web viciously, carving out yet another chunk of web. They had no sense of how close they were to the relics, only that they were down there _somewhere_.

Neo was digging silently, her umbrella actually serving a purpose for once, keeping the sun off her.

Qrow once again silently cursed his twin for luring the spider out in the first place. He hoped the angry roars and spurts of flame that were peppering the air above the forest were directed at her.

"What the hell happened here?"

And speak of the devil.

Raven, along with Harry and a couple of others, were standing at the forest end of the bridge, staring at the destruction. It must have been a sight to see. A bridge that had been intact, if old and abandoned, turned into ruins within half an hour.

"A battle happened here." replied Qrow testily as he hopped down to meet them. He still hadn't forgotten Raven's abandonment. It was so typical of her though.

"A battle is_ about_ to happen here." corrected Summer as she walked around the giant hole on the left side of the bridge. Raven had knelt down behind her, examining a hole the spider had made. "There's a pissed off Lindrac in the woods and it's coming this way."

"Why's it pissed off?" asked Qrow.

"Us. More specifically though, Raven."

He knew it!

"Again, sis? Really?" He clicked his fingers, reminded of something. "Hey, can you burn the web for us?"

"Great idea brother!" replied Raven, a touch of sarcasm evident. "Let's just set the web, covering the _wooden_ relics, on fire. Brilliant."

"Shut up."

"And anyway, I used up my Burn Dust already. Remember? I set tall, dark and smoky over there on fire."

Harry gave an indignant mumble as he leant on Summer, eyes closed.

"You set him on _fire_?" asked Tai.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Qrow, ignoring Tai.

"I think he ran out of Aura." said Raven.

"How?" asked Qrow. "We're only like, an hour into the initiation."

Tai mumbled something along the lines of 'probably cause she set him on fire'.

"He's an Aura manipulator."

Qrow frowned. Using the thing that was your best protection against Grimm to _attack_ was generally frowned upon. Damn right suicidal, really. And that explained his stick too! Manipulators needed a thin focus to direct their symbols. Most of this dying class of Hunters usually tried to put it inside a weapon, like a baton or something, as a secondary offense. Harry had a sword instead.

"Wait a minute. So he's _your_ partner?" he asked, a slightly pained look on his face.

"Yep."

"Dibs not being on their team!"

"Hey! Why?" Raven sounded slightly hurt.

"Because, with a Manipulator to experiment with, you're only going to blow me up more!"

A pause.

"That was one time."

"As if!"

"The Water Dust experiments don't count." said Raven dismissively.

"I was frozen in a block of ice for a whole week!"

Nyx interrupted them from where she stood on top of the collapsed web.

"Hey guys! Neo found one!" The other girl held the chess piece up for them to see. It was white.

"Oh thank the gods." muttered Qrow. "I _am_ on a different team."

An angry, half-crazed roar echoed off the cliff face behind them.

They all turned as one to face the Lindrac as it crawled out of the burning forest, its wings spread wide, eyes glowing red.

"I don't think we'll have the time to find the other ones." said Tai.

* * *

They all spread out, ducking behind non-flammable cover. Harry, Summer, Neo and Qrow hid behind the base of a broken column on the left, while the other four went right.

"We need a strategy." said Qrow. "You know any weaknesses?"

Summer answered quickly, sounding like she was reciting from a textbook. "The back of a Lindrac's throat is the weakest spot, especially just after it has finished breathing fire. The scales there will be very malleable, and suggestible to sharp objects." She thought for a second. "And bullets and explosives too, now that I think about it."

"Good idea, but my shotgun's useless at this range. You have a gun?"

"Pistols." Summer show him her cutlass hilts.

"Good. Try and wake Harry up."

Summer laid the unconscious boy down, a little roughly. Harry groaned as his head bounced of the cracked stone.

"Watch it." Harry mumbled. His eyes focused. "Qrow?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"When did you get-" he sat up and looked around. "Wait, are we back on the bridge?"

Qrow nodded.

Harry sat bolt upright. "The spider?!" he yelped.

The silent Neo raised one finger to her lips, shushing him.

"What are you, scared?" asked Summer as Qrow said "We already killed it."

Harry gave a small sigh of relief.

"The Lindrac's here though."

On cue, a roar came from the other end of the bridge, as the scaly Grimm began to inch its way forward.

* * *

At the same time, on the other side of the bridge behind a different pillar, another conversation entirely was taking place.

"What do you mean, _you don't have any more ammo_? Who the hell only carries eight arrows?" hissed Nyx.

"I do!" huffed Kaos angrily, fiddling with his Arrow Shield, "I just ... haven't gotten round to designing the reload mechanism yet, okay?"

"Will you two please _shut up_?" growled Raven, peaking around the corner. "It's getting on my nerves."

Kaos and Nyx glared at each other.

"Hey, I can see why it wasn't flying before," said Raven, "Look at the right wing."

Tai poked his head out of cover. On the relative openness of the bridge, the Lindrac had spread its wings wide. Thin swathes of skin stretched between the bones of the wing. An older Grimm's bones would have been further reinforced, but someone had pulverised some of the right-side bones into little more than dust.

Tai guessed the injury was from the same battle that had led to it being unconscious in the middle of the forest.

"What can we do?" asked Nyx.

"I've still got an ice cartridge in here." said Raven, tapping her sheath. "It might buy us enough time to get away.

"Well then, _use_ it." prompted Tai.

"No. Not yet. We need to wait for the right moment, or else it won't last a second against the Lindrac's firebreath."

Raven thought for a second. "Alright guys. I've got a plan. You need to keep its mouth shut."

"Easier said than done." muttered Tai. Raven shot him an annoyed look. He added "Or easier said _then_ done, eh?"

Everyone looked confused.

"Never mind. You'd get it if you saw it written down."

A flame shot by and the extremely flammable web went up like a bonfire on a dry summer's day, neatly representing this author's attempt at meta humour.

"The relics!" shouted Kaos. He put up his shield to protect his face and dived into the burning web, slashing and cutting through the remaining strands of silk with his dagger.

"What an idiot." said Raven, shaking her head.

"What about we attack on the count of three?" asked Tai.

"Sure." shrugged Nyx.

"One. Two. _Three!"_

They jumped out of cover, and promptly jumped back in again as more fire flew past, clearly directed towards them.

"Or maybe not." said Tai sheepishly as the Lindrac advanced closer.

* * *

"Hey Neo." said Qrow as they watched Kaos run into the fire. "Can your umbrella repel flames?"

She nodded.

"Can you go over there and see if they have any plans -"

She was already gone, umbrella unfolded, running low to the ground so it covered her feet too.

"-that I now realise you won't be able to communicate to me because you don't talk." He sighed.

Harry sniggered and Summer just rolled her eyes.

* * *

"Ah, Neo, perfect." said Raven as the Huntress rolled into their cover, folding her umbrella behind her. "Run back again so you distract the Lindrac."

If Neo spoke, she would have said "Seriously?", but as she didn't, she just gave a look that encapsulated the words perfectly.

"Just do it, okay?"

Neo ran back again.

The Lindrac's head turned to follow the moving target, streaming fire, and Raven signalled the other two.

They ran forward as quietly as they could, but the Grimm spotted them anyway.

Step one; Nyx threw her dagger as soon as the Grimm was in range, angling it so it came down from above.

It flipped through the air and landed hilt first between the Lindrac's eyes. It rebounded, and the Grimm's jaw snapped closed. Before it could blow fire again, Tai initiated step two.

He punched it solidly in the bottom of its jaw with his golden knuckle dusters.

Have you ever been punched in the jaw? Your teeth click together and you see stars. If you're particularly unlucky, you might even bite part of your tongue off. Not a problem for the Lindrac though, no tongue you see.

What was a problem though, was the sharp metal teeth, not made for eating, but designed to rip, tear, inflict maximum damage. Another problem of course was the fireball it had built up in its throat.

Flames erupted from the Lindrac's delicate nostrils, more suited to tracking scents than for channeling fire.

And the final step. Raven stepped forward calmly, pulling the katana from her sheath. It was a cold blue colour, and Tai felt the temperature drop by several degrees as she passed him.

She swung once, the blade hitting the snout of the beast. Ice immediately started spreading from the point of contact, freezing its entire face.

It backed away further, shaking its head violently. Raven disengaged her handle with a quick twist, leaving the metal blade frozen in the still spreading ice.

"Move!" she barked.

The three kept running, around the stamping legs. Kaos caught up to them, holding a sooty black relic in one outstretched hand.

* * *

"Well, that took care of that problem." said Qrow, as the Lindrac started trying to claw the ice off its face. He unfolded his weapon, pointing it behind him. "See you guys on the other side."

He shot, blasting him forward. With another shot downwards, he flew above the Grimm, clearing it by a few meters.

Neo was already gone, using her grace to dodge every struggling movement of the Lindrac.

Summer and Harry followed her, but as they reached the other side, Summer stopped so abruptly that Harry nearly ran into her.

"We don't have the last relic!" she exclaimed, spinning around and crouching like she was on a starters block at the beginning of the 100m sprints.

"No, wait!" said Harry as he tried to grab her. She slipped through his fingers as she sprinted impossibly fast, leaving white pieces of cloth in her wake, heading back through the chaotic stumblings of the Lindrac.

He swore under his breath.

_(/leave her/)_

"No." he muttered and ran after her.

He ducked under an outstretched wing, side-stepped a swiping claw, and was generally feeling pretty proud of himself up until the Lindrac spun around and hit him with its tail.

* * *

Summer looked over her shoulder as a rumble shook the already unstable bridge. Her eyes widened and she ducked as a black shape flew overhead, landing at the foot of the burning web. _Harry?!_

She swore under her breath. Harry didn't have that much Aura to protect himself. He might not have-

She reached him and pulled him out of the fire. He was still breathing, thanks the gods, but it was shallow, jagged.

There was no time to lose. The pedestals the relics had stood on were dimly visible through the dying flames. She took a deep breath and ran in, shielding her eyes from the ash.

She reached the first pedestal and ran her hand over the ground. Nothing. The next one had nothing but soot and carbon.

What would happen if she returned without a relic? Would they kick her out? What would she do?

Her lungs were hurting as she crawled to the final marble pedestal. She struggled not to take another breath as she knelt down on the ground, searching where the relic must surely have fallen.

Nothing.

The tears in her eyes were from the the soot, of course.

She looked up in her despair and saw it. Perched on top of the pedestal, in clear sight, stood the magnificent black knight. She had never been so happy to see a chess piece before.

She grabbed it and ran, coughing violently as she exited the fire.

As she took deep breaths of relatively cleaner air, she noticed Harry had recovered. Good, she was almost worried for a second there. Bad news was though, the Lindrac had recovered too.

It had clawed the blade from its face and thrown it to the side. The ice was spreading slower where the blade had landed, as if it was running out of energy. The ice from around its eyes had melted but not from around its jaw, keeping the mouth shut. Summer could see wisps of smoke escaping its nostrils though, and it was only a matter of time before the ice cracked enough to let the flame through.

She ran over to Harry as he stood up. He moved with jerky movements, as if he didn't know how to control his body.

She stopped abruptly as he turned to her. His eyes, normally emerald green, were blood red, angry.

"Harry?"

He didn't seem to recognise his voice, and half raised his wand in her direction. The Lindrac gave a muffled roar, and Harry seemed to reconsider, turning away, back to the beast. He lifted his Aura weapon with slow, even jerkier movements. He didn't trace a symbol like he had before, with the shield.

The wand flashed, and a dark green beam of light shot forward.

The laser hit the Grimm on the left of the chest, where the heart would have been if it were a normal animal, and did... Nothing.

What was that supposed to do? The Grimm looked down and then up again, as if echoing Summer's thoughts.

Harry took a step back and looked ... surprised? It was hard to tell. The emotion looked stretched, like it was on the wrong face. She was abruptly aware of how tidy his hair was, compared to how messy it had been scarcely five minutes earlier.

He tried another attack. His Aura focus glowed golden at the tip, and she noticed medium sized rocks began to vibrate, rumbling towards a singular point.

He lifted his stick higher, and the rocks actually lifted up of the ground! He flipped his hand position on the stick, grasping it like a dagger, and thrust downwards, as if stabbing an invisible victim.

The rocks pummelled the Lindrac. Most of them bounced of its thick armour. It had folded its wings tight against its body, not risking another shattered bone.

Harry stabbed again and again, until the Lindrac stopped moving forward.

It had finally melted the ice from its jaw, and celebrated by shooting a jet of fire at the massed rocks above it.

Harry seemed angry now, but was still calm enough to consider another plan.

He stabbed the stick horizontally, and the rocks hit the half broken column beside the Lindrac. With a crack, it tipped over and came down on top of the beast, trapping it.

This didn't inconvenience it though, and it shot flame at Harry as it struggled to stand up.

He didn't look like he was going to move, so Summer tackled him sideways. He pushed her roughly away and stood up again. He knocked over the other column too, and the whole bridge rumble with the impact.

Almost imperceptibly, the bridge began to tilt. She noticed it because the smaller rocks, not picked up by Harry's Sigil, start to to roll past her, towards the Lindrac.

"Harry! We _really_ need to go."

He didn't react. She grabbed his shoulder but he shrugged her off.

He shot another Sigil forward. She recognised the green colour again as it impacted the trapped Grimm. Again, nothing happened. He shot the green bean of light again.

His legs gave way beneath him and he fell to his knees. His stick was still pointed unwaveringly forwards.

He shot again.

His non-weapon hand was on the ground, the only thing keeping him from collapsing. With horror, Summer noticed blood dripping from his nose.

He shot one last time and collapsed.

"What the fuck." she muttered as she picked him up again. She grabbed his stick too, from where it had rolled out of his hand. "You have some serious explaining to do."

The bridge was at a twenty degree slope now, its collapse accelerating. The tilt had helped the Lindrac shrug off the columns, but it was struggling to climb upwards, digging its claws in and climbing. Stupid single-minded Grimm. Even if it caught them, it would still fall to its death in the almost bottomless ravine.

She ran back towards the cave entrance, having a slightly easier time of it than the Lindrac, but she also had to avoid bursts of flame.

By the time she got anywhere near the cave, the bridge had tilted so much, it was higher than the top of the archway.

An idea popped into her head. An insane, crazy idea, that might just work. She ducked behind a pillar, protecting herself from the Lindrac's firebreath.

As the bridge went past forty-five degrees, she stopped leaning against the column, and simply stepped onto the its surface. She heard a roar as the Grimm lost its grip, but she didn't pay much attention to it. She had to time this perfectly. Too soon, and she would look too suspicious. Too late, and she wouldn't make the cliff edge.

She bent down, ready to run again. The horizon slowly came into view. Holy crap, she was high. She was probably about level with the tops of the Beacon towers, far above the forest.

All she had to do now was wait. The bridge was falling down now, sliding off its last support. A few more seconds...

_Now!_

She activated her semblance and shot forward like a gun.

The wind rushed past as she glided through the air, her pure white cloak, untouched by the soot of the fire, billowing behind her.

The sun was in their eyes as they looked up at her, but they still moved out of the way as she landed.

Her cloak settled around her, the end just reaching the edge of the broken path.

She straightened up slowly. "Did you miss me?" she asked.

* * *

_**In time, your friends will heal your mind**_

Harry slowly came to consciousness ... again. How many times had he been knocked out today? Twice? At least he didn't have that pounding headache - no, wait, there it was.

A voice cut into his brain like a knife through butter.

"Hey Kaos, I think he's awake!"

Another voice, deeper, exasperated. "How do you know _this_ time?"

"His eye twitched." said the first voice matter-of-factly.

"His eyes have been twitching for the last _hour,_ Nyx. Why does _this_ eye-twitch in particular mean he's awake?"

"Because both eyes twitched in sync! See! He's opening them!"

Harry slowly focused on the faces in front of him. He vaguely recognised them as the two others at the bridge, besides the people he had known. He also recognised his surroundings as the infirmary.

His surmised the red-head with the hat was Kaos, and the gloved girl was Nyx.

"How long was I out?" he groaned.

"Only an hour or two." answered the girl cheerfully.

"Wait," He sat up, "What happened on the bri-" he saw bright swirls of kaleidoscopic colour as the blood rushed to his head. He quickly lay down again, moaning.

"The bridge?" confirmed Kaos, keeping his voice respectfully low.

Harry nodded.

"You kicked that Lindrac's ass!" shouted the girl. Harry winced at the sound.

Raven entered the room, holding a package. "Oh, you're actually awake this time." she said, a little surprised. "Nyx has been raising false alarms for the last hour."

She sat down on a chair.

"An older student specialising in healing looked you over." said Kaos. "She said you had a couple of broken ribs, which she fixed, and some bruising, which she didn't."

Raven passed over the package. "She said you might also have-"

"Some brain damage!" interrupted Nyx, grinning gleefully.

Brain damage!?

"A headache." corrected Raven. Harry let out a sigh of relief. The label on the package said "_Para-Schnee-tamol._" And in smaller font, "_For children under 12 years of age."_

"Thanks." said Harry dryly, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside cabinet. He took two tablets, and felt the headache start to recede.

"So what happened after I got knocked out?"

"We all took turns carrying you back." said Raven. "Summer was getting a little tired of being your mule."

"No, I mean, what happened to the Lindrac?"

"It fell down the ravine."

"What!? But how-"

"Look, Harry, you'll just have to watch the recording. We really need to start moving. The teams are being presented _now._"

Kaos helped him out of bed, putting Harry's arm over his shoulder.

As they proceeded down the hallway, Harry caught sight of himself in a reflection off a window. He was dirty. Like, actual grime and dust all over him.

"Hey wait guys," he said, "Can I just get myself cleaned up?"

Raven looked him, as if realising how filthy he was. Nyx just scoffed.

"Yeah, sure." said Kaos, "Any bathrooms nearby?"

"Oh, I know where one is." said Harry. They were right near his old room, just down from the infirmary.

He walked and opened the door. They had already cleared out all his stuff, moving it to his new dormitory he supposed. In the bathroom, he splashed water on his face, clearing away the worst of the dirt. He gave his hair a thorough cleaning too, noting that there was a twig tangled in it.

He looked at his, now cleanish, face in the reflection, his hair sticking up a little more than usual.

With a jolt, he realised something was missing. _His mask_. It was gone, like it had never been there. He lifted a finger and scraped it along his forehead. It felt slimy, like a permanent film of sweat. No, the mask was still there, just thinned to the point of translucency.

The moment of joy was quickly dulled and then reanimated. The mask might not be _gone_, but he knew how to get rid of it now! Depleting his Aura must have had something to do with it.

"Hurry up!" came Nyx's impatient tone.

He quickly dried his hair, smoothing it back down automatically over his non-existent mask.

"I'm ready."

* * *

They arrived near the end of the ceremony. Ozpin was standing on stage with Amber beside him.

They entered the hall behind Qrow and Neo.

"What's happening?" whispered Nyx.

"My team is going up after them." said Qrow indicating the four people in front. "Then it's you guys."

"Ashley Fall!" called out Ozpin.

The screen lit up with a face he recognised as the person Summer and Tai had described as 'psycho'. She strolled up on stage.

"Jonathan Arc!"

A face with blonde hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen. And that was the one they said was racist. Brilliant.

"Robin Sustrai!"

This guy had a short, pale green mohawk and a tight white shirt.

"Ceres Black!"

Harry felt a pang of pain in his chest as he heard her name. Why did it sound so familiar? Where they related? Seeing her didn't bring back a flood of memories, just her name. She wore a white jacket, styled to look like a low-cut robe.

"The four of you retrieved the white King and Queen pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Arc."

The giant letters AARC appeared on the screen, replacing the faces.

"Led by ... Jonathan Arc!"

No surprise there.

They exited the stage to mild applause.

"Taiyang Xiao Long!"

Tai walked up with a confidant grin.

"Summer Rose!"

She still had that long white cloak on, trailing behind her.

"Neopolitan!"

Interesting. No last name. A few people had picked up on that, but Neo was ignoring the whispers.

"Qrow Branwen!"

Raven gave a whoop that carried over the polite applause. Her twin brother shot her a grin.

"The four of you retrieved the white Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Bastion."

The letters BSTN appeared behind them.

"Led by ... Qrow Branwen!"

Raven let out another whoop.

"And finally;"

"Nyx Nightshade!"

"Kaos Nomos!"

"Raven Branwen!"

Was it his imagination, or had the tone of the auditorium turned dark? An undercurrent of anger was running through the whispers.

"Harry Black!"

He walked up on stage. The entire auditorium was silent now. Ozpin barely had to raise his voice.

"The four of you retrieved the black Knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team Broken."

On screens around the podium, those four letters sat. They echoed in his mind, taunting him, like a nightmare that never ended. They brought back bad memories.

B.R.K.N

_You're broken._

**Broken. To be thrown away, like the trash you are.**

_"Led by ... Harry Black."_

* * *

_**Your story is untold**_

They unpacked their stuff in the dorm rooms. Raven and Nyx had taken the beds on the left, and Kaos and Harry, the right.

Harry had barely anything, just some clothes and a few books. As he looked around, he noticed Nyx and Kaos were the same.

Kaos had a poster featuring an eight-pointed star, similar to his shield. Underneath the image was written the words 'Nomos Industries: Possibility and Practicality.' A bit of a mouthful.

Nyx had a second-hand dartboard hung up on the door, peppered with gashes.

Raven took up the most room by far. As well as a few posters, mostly of a Faunus singer called 'The Achieve Huntress', she had set up some sort of contraption in the corner, with a clear plastic cube at the centre of the device.

"What the hell is that?" asked Kaos.

_"That_, is a miniature Dust tester. I built it myself."

"I don't really feel comfortable having that anywhere near me." said Nyx.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Nyx."

"Calm down guys. This only deals with small amounts of Dust. The worst it can do is set fire to something."

"That still sounds pretty worrying." said Kaos.

"Don't worry." said Raven, pulling out a red fire extinguisher from her bag. Harry blinked. _How could she fit that in there?_ She took out another extinguisher, this time blue, and labeled 'ice burner'. "It's perfectly safe. I have this exact setup in my bedroom at home."

She set about fiddling with what Harry assumed were the individual Dust injectors leading into the six sides of the cube.

"That's not enough proof." complained Nyx, "What happens when it explodes, or the concoction melts through the bottom of the glass?"

"Seriously, stop worrying. I'm still intact, aren't I?"

"Physically, yes." interjected Kaos, "But mentally? Who knows what the toxic gases have done to you?"

Harry stepped forward. "Guys, enough. Raven, I assume the glass is toughened?"

"Yeah, of course. Can withstand 2000 tons of pressure."

"And airtight?"

"What do you take me for, an amateur?"

"Okay. Next time, lead with that. Oh, and do try and warn us before you test anything."

"Fine." said Raven, "But prepare to be disappointed. Ninety-nine point nine percent of the time, all you get is a little fizzle. Maybe a loud bang if you're lucky."

* * *

Summer stood outside the door.

She could just walk past the door, back to her team's room, forget the initiation and what happened, forget the unanswered question.

She knocked instead.

Harry opened it. Behind him, she could hear Raven telling Kaos about Dust for some reason.

"The rest of the team out there?" Harry asked, looking around.

"No, just me. We need to talk."

"Ooh. Lovebirds!" crowed Nyx.

Summer frowned as she looked in and saw Nyx lying on her bed, reading a novel. "Somewhere private, please."

Nyx booed them as Summer pulled Harry out into the corridor.

"Where-" Harry started, but Summer shushed him.

They didn't speak until Summer had led him halfway across campus into an empty classroom.

Harry looked around the empty classroom nervously. "Whatever ideas Nyx put into your head, let me assure you I-"

"Don't flatter yourself Black." she said. "I just want to talk about what the fuck happened on the bridge back there."

"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, a look of confusion perfectly crafted on his face.

"You looked like a man possessed! Glowing red eyes and everything!"

"No idea what you're talking about." he said nervously.

He started sidling towards the door. She was suddenly angry.

He was lying to her, she knew it. It was that stupid look on his face.

She grabbed the front of the shirt and slammed him against the wall. "Don't bullshit me! I know what I fucking saw! Why are you faking this, this weak exterior, when you can do something like that on low Aura reserves?"

His eyes were wide at her sudden emotion. She let up slightly. He still looked completely terrified.

His eyes were focused behind her, trying not to make eye contact with her.

He whispered something. She leant in closer. He whispered the phrase again.

Those four words made her let him go, and back away in terror.

_How?_

She looked behind her, but all she saw was her cloak, where it had billowed up behind her as she pushed Harry against the wall.

How had he- No, it wasn't possible.

"What did you just say?" she asked, hoping she had heard him wrong.

He coughed, massaging his chest. "I said- I said, your wings are beautiful."

She looked behind herself again.

"What are you talking about?" She said, feigning ignorance. She knew it was too late. He had seen her reaction.

"Behind you. They're stretched out. They look amazing."

She folded them back in, and her cloak fluttered to the ground.

"Why did you do that?" he asked, sounding genuinely disappointed.

She ignored his question and asked her own, more pressing one. "_How can you see them?"_

"What do you mean? They were just there. When I met you, during the initiation, the whole time. I only saw them spread out when you were angry at me just then. The rest of the time you had them tight against your back. What do mean? Am I not meant to be able to?"

"No one else has seen them. This cloak is a family heirloom. It's meant to hide things from people's sight."

The legend was that Death itself had gifted her distant ancestor with the garment. Of course, powerful artifacts were a dime a dozen in Remnant, with so many past civilisations to plunder from, so it seemed silly to believe something _that_ implausible.

Harry shrugged. "Well it obviously doesn't work on me. It's like, I _know_ the cloak is white, but I can also see that it's transparent."

Summer unconsciously blushed. She knew she was wearing more than what some Huntresses wore as a battle uniform, but it still made her uncomfortable, knowing Harry could see past her cloak.

"Are you blackmailing me?" she asked angrily, "Because of your red eyes thing?"

"No!" he denied vehemently, "It's just - Wait, so people don't know you're a Faunus?"

Faunus. The dreaded word. She had avoided it for so long. When she started hiding herself, her wings, she knew someone would find out about her ancestry eventually. But she didn't think it would be like this.

She sat heavily on one of the seats ringing around the teacher's podium. Harry took one across the aisle from her.

"No one but me and obviously, my parents." she answered. "I think Ozpin might have his suspicions, but I trust him."

"Not even Tai?"

She snorted. "I don't even know Tai that well. We were rivals, not best buddies."

"It's just, why hide who you are?"

Summer gritted her teeth. "You don't realise just how hard it is to be a Faunus in society. Ask your partner, Raven. Ask her how much abuse she's had to endure, simply because she publicly admits her race. How hard she had to fight, to be recognised as a Huntress in training."

"But hiding won't help anything!"

"Do you know how many Faunus live in the kingdom of Vale? Barely half a million out of _eight_ million. And an estimated _twice_ that amount live by hiding their true heritage, wearing hats, bows or long sleeves to cover up their animal traits. Those people find jobs that would otherwise be denied to them. Look around, Harry," She indicated the empty grounds outside of the classroom. "How many Faunus have you seen in Beacon? One? Your partner? You didn't notice how quiet the audience became when your team walked up on stage?"

Harry nodded forlornly.

"_That's_ why I keep it a secret. Because if I don't, despite my skill, my training, I just don't have a chance." She stood up to leave. "So please, don't tell anyone."

She had her hand on the doorknob before Harry spoke.

"Wait." he said quietly. "I found this secret, this big thing you've been hiding all your life. It's only fair I show you something in return. It might be behind the whole bridge scene."

She sat back down, her curiosity peaked again. "What, that you're secretly a Faunus too?" she asked, trying to inject some humour into the bleak conversation.

He gave a small, forced grin. "No, that would be silly. I have - No, it's better I show you."

She sat back down. He lifted a hand to his head, pulling his fringe up. Beneath it, was ... a mask? Of bone? A lightning shape tore through the middle, a red crack separating the two pieces.

"Ozpin told me this is an Aura projection. A permanent one."

She raised an eyebrow. Sure, Aura projections weren't exactly rare. A typical Aura shield was one such example.

"It appeared, or rather I appeared-" He sighed and let down his fringe again. "I'm telling this story wrong. I should start from the beginning."

He slunk further down in his seat.

"Almost exactly one month ago, minutes after New Years, Headmaster Ozpin rescued from Grimm in the Forever Fall forest. All I had were my weapons and a few scraps of memory."

Summer was burning to ask questions, but Harry looked so sad.

"I don't know who I was or where I came from, but, from the memories I retained, I know I wasn't a good person. Every night since then, every time my eyes close, I see fire. I see green flashes of light and then dead bodies. I hear the people's screams. And the only thought that runs through my head is, _it's all my fault."_

She recognised the description of his green Sigils from the bridge.

Harry continued. "I think this," he pointed to his mask, "is penance for those sins. It locked away part of my Aura, and no matter what I try, I can't get it back."

Summer felt horrified. The concept of having part of your Aura bound, your very soul mutilated, was terrifying to her.

Harry looked her in the eyes and leant forward. "So please, tell me what happened on the bridge. Why did my mask fade, only to return within hours? Did I do something good, and the mask lifted as reward, or did it unleash a monster?"

She answered truthfully. It was the least she could do, after he told her his story. "The person on the bridge, that wasn't you. It was the reason I dragged you here. That man you became, the person you must have been before you lost your memories, he terrified me. I didn't see a scrap of mercy, of humanity in his eyes as he tried to kill the Lindrac. That's who I thought you were. I apologise for my outburst."

He waved it off. "I understand. What I don't understand is _how_ it happened."

"Perhaps it was because your Aura was depleted? And all you had to fall back on was your mask?"

"But why the personality change? Why don't I remember it?"

She shrugged.

Harry look panicked. "I can't run out of Aura that badly again. If I do, and _he_ takes over, who knows what he'll do."

They sat in silence, contemplating this notion. She could almost see it. A red-eyed man, wearing Harry's face, moving his body in those same jerky motions, standing amongst the dead, pointing his wand at her. All she would see was a flash of green light, and...

Summer stood up again. "Harry, it's going to be okay. You can control this."

"Can I?" he asked, the doubt in his voice evident.

"Yes you can. I've seen you. Your willingness to help people, to save them. You didn't abandon me on the bridge, when I went back for the relic. You didn't care that Raven or I were Faunus. You're a good person."

Harry was silent.

"Summer." he said eventually.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For listening to me. For believing in me."

"Thank you too, for sharing." She turned to leave. As she opened the door, she added "And don't tell anyone about my wings okay?"

He nodded.

* * *

_**And destiny sees innocence unfold**_

_The small child sat on the sturdy wooden bed, watched by an bearded man, concern on his face. The child's dead green eyes looked forward without blinking._

"I can make things move without touching them."

_Behind the man, the curtains twitched slightly, despite the dead air._

"I can make animals do what I want without training them."

_A dead rabbit, a rope around its neck, hanging from the ceiling._

"I can make bad things happen to people who are mean to me."

_A boy's face as he looked up and saw his pet rabbit dangling from the rafters. The fear as he saw the other boy's triumphant eyes._

"I can make them **hurt** if I want them to."

_The same boy, screaming as the water rushed into the cave. He gurgled as it flowed over his face, screaming yet again as it receded. He tried to crawl towards the exit of the cave, only to fall to the ground again, face twisted in agony._

**"And you think,**" he said, standing up. His voice changed with his body, growing deeper. He unfolded upwards, growing taller as he changed into something nightmarish, towering over the suddenly tired looking man. His eyes grew crimson red, his nose into slits, and he became almost scaly looking. "**That you can stand against me?"**

* * *

Harry woke up, his whole body sweaty and shaking. It was just another nightmare, he told himself.

The birds were starting to tweet outside, and he checked the clock. 5 AM. Huh. He actually got a _better _sleep then usual this time. He supposed it was the fatigue of initiation.

He got dressed in the school uniform, careful not to wake the rest of his team. He took out his notebook.

In here, he recorded all his dreams, hoping to gain some insight into his past.

He flipped past yesterday's entry, and started to write.

**Dream #28:**  
**Childhood? Ten or eleven years old? Has Aura. Sadistic. Talking to older man. Doctor? Psychiatrist? Changed into snake-man again. Maybe childhood trauma _caused_ by snake-man? See dream #16**

It wasn't the first time snake-man had entered his dreams. He seemed to be the catalyst for Harry's past, the cause of the event that drove him to madness.

He closed the book and hid it back in his drawer as Raven stirred.

"Good morning." he said quietly, so not to disturb the others.

She blinked sleepily at him. "Why are you up so early?" She yawned, ending it in a silent snarl.

"Early riser." he answered, shrugging.

Kaos was the next to wake. Unfortunately, Nyx didn't seem to want to get up in time for lessons, so Raven took initiative and pushed her out of bed. Even then, she just pulled the blanket down on herself.

Eventually though, they were ready to start the day.

"Here's our schedules." said Harry, handing out the slips of paper. "We all have History first, then Combat Training. For Weapons classes though, Raven and I have Sword Arts, while you two have Dagger Work."

Nyx just yawned at him, and turned to exit the room.

"Is everyone ready for our first day at Beacon?" asked Raven as they followed Harry.

"Hell no!" answered Nyx blearily from ahead. "I have the attention span of a goldfish."

Kaos nodded, partially agreeing with Nyx's sentiment, and partially in answer to Raven. "I've been tutored for years. This should be a breeze."

Harry just shrugged. He thought back to the books on Faunus culture he had read, and mentally compared them to Summer's rant. "I've read books on the subjects sure, but I find that they often don't reflect the real world as well as they should."

"That's the spirit!" said Raven. "Everything's a lie until proven true. _Especially_ if it's about Faunus."

* * *

_**Welcome to the world of Light and Darkness fusion.**_

_**In time, your friends will heal your mind**_

_**Your story is untold**_  
_**And destiny sees innocence unfold**_

* * *

A/N **I'd like to extend credit to You Get A Lifetime by breampool for the idea of the Deathly Hallows in Remnant. They're not going to be the same Hallows though, as evidenced by Summer's cloak not hiding her, but hiding just her wings. Also, the second Hallow won't turn up for a while.**

**And no bunk beds! Everyone's a little more Spartan than the RWBY gang.**


	10. Days Of Peace

**A/N Exams snuck up on me again. I've had this for the last couple of weeks, unable to put the finishing touches on it. On the other hand, I have a couple of thousand words of the next chapter written up. On the **_**other **_**other hand, there's a few family issues that may delay the chapter after that.**

Disclaimer: **As I write this, it is more than 40 degrees Celcius (104 Fahrenheit) outside. I don't think that's the sort of temperature in either Britain or Austin right now, where the writers of Harry Potter and RWBY live.**

* * *

**Chapter 10:**

**Days of Peace**

* * *

_**The world's just fine,**_

Team BRKN entered their first class of the year. About half the other students were already there, scattered about the classroom, in pairs or on their own. Harry and Kaos took seats near the front, and Raven and Nyx sat in the row behind them.

Seconds before the bell rang, Qrow rushed into the room, followed by the rest of his team, all clearly just woken up. Tai was desperately trying to flatten a cowlick, and Neo was yawning silently and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

Qrow relaxed when he realised the teacher hadn't arrived yet. He spotted Harry and his team and walked over. "Mind if we sit with you guys?" he asked, indicating the desks beside them.

Harry shrugged. The other team slid into their own spots, Qrow next to his sister, Summer next to Harry and Tai on the other side of her. Neo sat a couple of desks down, isolated.

They all say patiently for the professor to arrive.

"What do you think he's going to be like?" asked Summer.

"Dunno." said Tai, "Old? Fat? Eccentric? All of the above?"

Both Ozpin and Amber had told Harry stories about the other professors at school. A lot of them were, as Tai put it, eccentric. They would have to be, to become teachers at a Hunter school like Beacon. But, somehow, Harry didn't think that they would be incompetent.

Finally, the teacher entered the class from a door behind the center podium. He wore a half untucked shirt and a very loose tie. He gave the impression that he had dressed himself as quickly as possible, and then refused to tidy himself up. His dark green hair was all over the place, and he wore opaque white glasses that hid his eyes.

This, assumed Harry, was going to be one of the eccentric ones.

The professor stood straight as a board at the front of the classroom, and took a sip from his coffee mug. He almost vibrated with an inner energy.

"Goooood morning students!" he said excitedly, almost shouting. A couple of students jolted as they woke up.

_Whoosh._

Suddenly he was on the other side of the room. Harry blinked.

Was that teleportation? Or was he just really fast?

"Welcome to your first class of History. My name is Doctor Oobleck!" He took another swig of coffee. "In this class, you will learn of History! The past!"

_Whoosh_.

Everyone's head swivelled to the teacher's new position. Maybe he was just really caffeinated?

"One topic will be on Ancient History! That is, all that we know of the civilisations that came before, and the remnants they left us."

_Whoosh._

From behind his desk the professor- sorry, doctor -used his pointer to indicate several pictures of ruined buildings that might have once been temples. Harry realised some of the pictures were of temples in the same style as the bridge they had recently demolished via Grimm. Whoops.

_Whoosh._

Oobleck took another sip of what Harry was quickly beginning to suspect was highly caffeinated rocket fuel.

"But for now, of course, _we_ will be more focused on _modern_ History! That is, the history of the prosperous kingdoms of Vale, Mantle (now Atlas of course), Vacuo and Mistral, their formation, and the wars that followed."

"But first!" Oobleck said excitedly, "A short refresher! What is the definition of a Kingdom?"

Summer put her hand up. "A Kingdom is the area based around the four main cities of Remnant. The border extends around each city, and serves as a way to know which area is which Kingdom's to protect. The border towns however-"

"Yes, yes, that's quite enough, Miss Rose." said Oobleck. "Please wait for me to choose a student to answer before interrupting in the future. We all know the _names_ of the four Kingdoms of course, but can anyone name the four Lands?"

Summer put her hand up again, but Oobleck ignored her, this time pointing at Harry.

"Uh-um." he stammered, trying to remember. The definition of the Lands in Remnant: A Record was the four highest concentrations of Grimm in the world, where it was just suicidal to enter.

"The... Aurora," he started. That one was easiest, as it was the weirdest. In the ice lands in the north, above Atlas, technology just broke beyond a certain point. Signals scrambled, circuits fried. Even simple things like batteries imploded when they got close. You knew you had gone too far when the metal in your guns and armour started to rust before your very eyes.

"The Depths," he continued, more confidently. The most unknown, the deepest point of the ocean, west of Mistral, where the largest of the Grimm gathered. Unburdened by forces like gravity, they were free to grow as large as they wanted. How could you possibly kill something like that, when a spear was no more than a splinter? Fortunately their great weight meant they couldn't get _out_ of the ocean either.

"The Wastelands," This desert was filled with nothing but irradiated craters and cockroach-like Grimm. A channel of poisoned water separated the island from mainland Vacuo. It was theorised that at some point in the past, kingdoms had descended into all out war, using weapons of mass destruction the technology of which were not known today. Anyone who stayed in the desolate plains too long left with only years to live.

"And, um..." Harry looked sideways at Summer for help for the last one.

Before Summer could answer, Oobleck finished the list. "The Lost Kingdom of course. Thank you, Mister Black."

Damn, how could he have forgotten? The fabled fifth Kingdom, destroyed all those years ago, now home to the most destructive of Grimm, feeding on the eternal despair of the dead. Or so the legends went. No one was exactly sure why Grimm were so powerful in that particular spot.

As Oobleck turned to ask more questions to the rest of the class, Harry relaxed some of the tension he hadn't even realised he had in him. He had subconsciously been fearing a slip up of some kind, some way for the rest of the year to label him as different, ignorant, or just plain stupid.

"This is dumb." said Nyx, not bothering to keep her voice down. Half the class turned to face her. Summer frowned and shushed her. "He's just rehashing old stuff." Nyx continued. "_And_ he looks like he has a drinking problem." she added snidely.

_Whoosh_.

"Is there anything _else_ you'd like to get off your chest?" asked Oobleck, suddenly standing in front of her. He checked his clipboard closely. "Miss ... Nightshade, is it?"

"What's the point in this subject?" She asked, gesturing around the room. "Why spend time learning about _dead_ people when we can learn how to save the living? Entire villages disappear off the map as we speak! And the _inside_ of the city is no better. The slums, the criminals-"

Oobleck was shaking his head. "Miss Nightshade," he interrupted, "You seem to be forgetting one thing. As a professor, I am a graduated Huntsman. In fact, I was in the same team as Headmaster Ozpin."

Harry's respect for him rose a few notches.

"As such, I know what it's like outside the Kingdoms." Oobleck continued, brandishing his coffee mug, somehow not spilling a drop, "And all I've learned is this;"

He leaned forward, looking over his glasses at Nyx's sullen face. His sapphire eyes twinkled. "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty. Foresight however, _is not_. The only way to focus it is with _knowledge_. And that is why I teach history; so that my students can avoid those same pitfalls that have doomed Hunters all around the world time and time again."

Nyx opened her mouth to speak again, but Oobleck cut her off.

"Now, Miss Nightshade," he said, leaning forward, "I can promise you that by the end of the year, you will find that my subject is one of, if not _the_ most important subjects taught at Beacon."

He zoomed back to the centre of the room, facing the rest of the students. "The refresher is _over_! Our first lesson will cover the very basics of Second Great War, typically known as the Faunus Revolution or, colloquially, as the Second Crusade."

* * *

_**Kingdoms in peace**_

"And so, with the declaration of peace, with the promise of toleration and acceptance, mankind was finally able to unite and fight against their common enemy! Grimm!" proclaimed Oobleck.

Harry's head slipped off his propped up arm and he woke with a start.

He looked around, bleary eyed. Raven had drifted off too, her head resting on her uncomfortable brother's shoulder. Qrow gave him an awkward wave with the other hand. Nyx was busy carving her name into the desk and Kaos was just browsing the Net on his Scroll. Summer was the only one of their two teams still concentrating, and she actually had a _whole_ _page _of notes written down.

Quite a few people around the room had nodded off too. Probably the exhaustion from the initiation catching up with them. At least, that was what Harry's excuse was, if anyone asked him. Certainly not nightmares about an psychotic green-eyed boy, no!

"What did I miss?" he hissed at Summer quietly. She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

He frowned. Was she deliberately ignoring the problem, in hopes that it would go away?

"The walls of cities, no longer having to defend against daily airship attacks, were finally able to grow taller." droned Oobleck in the background. Harry ignored him. "This in turn attracted many villages and nomads to them, no doubt drawn by the relative safety, compared to being out in the open. Does anyone know the consequences of this migration?"

What did she hope to accomplish? He wasn't going to reveal her secret unwillingly, or even accidentally.

"With less nomads outside the cities," a student said, with a slightly squeaky voice. Harry spared her a look and then did a double-take. Oum, was her hair _red_! She actually looked like a candle, with the pale waxy face and the flaming hair. It was really quite impressive. "The overall death toll of Grimm attacks went down."

Harry tore his eyes away from the strange hairstyle and glanced back at the white cloak covering Summer's shoulders. It wasn't his fault he could see through it. And chances were, if he could see her wings, someone else would too.

"Correct!" said Oobleck. "Thank you Miss. Vita. Today's death toll is nowhere near the death toll of sixty, even thirty years ago. With this decreased pressure on Hunters like yourselves, it became easier to respond to individual distress calls or attempts to wipe out major threats as they surface, or even take preventative action, such as the kill-on-sight list. Anyone else have another such consequence?"

And she knew _his_ secret too. Wasn't it better to work together?

Harry started as Summer spoke up.

"With the influx of skilled and unskilled labour into the cities," she recited, "The economy of all the kingdoms prospered, resulting in an even more peaceful world."

She could even help him with his patchy knowledge of the world, if she had stuff like this memorised. Being cooped up in Beacon for a month with nothing but books to read couldn't possibly be good enough to learn about what was going on in the world.

Speaking of which, what were they talking about again?

Oobleck nodded thoughtfully. "While not strictly true, Miss Rose does bring up a valuable point. The global economy _was_ indeed boosted, but that doesn't necessarily equate to peace. In fact, quite the opposite. Most kingdoms were still in that wartime frame of mind, putting their newfound wealth directly into military funding. Atlas developed its standing army, Mistral has its fleet, and Vale of course invented the Bullheads. Vacuo, interestingly enough, put their money into protection, both from Grimm and the other kingdoms."

Ah, of course. _War_.

"Unfortunately, one of Miss Nightshade's earlier points is also valid in this situation." Nyx looked up, her penknife halfway through a H. "This sudden influx of people created Vale's first slums. The crime rate tripled, and with that, came more organisation, the mafia bosses and so on. Fortunately, a new extension to Vale is being constructed, in hope to alleviate the situation."

_Somewhere without a history behind it, without background,_ thought Harry. _A blank slate. That would be... nice._

"You may have noticed a construction during the initiation, to the south west." Oobleck said, indicating it on the map. "In fact, it is due for completion in only four years, and it is extremely likely that _you_, young Huntsmen and Huntresses, will find your first job to be protecting... Mountain Glenn!"

* * *

_**Inside, the darkness ending**_

"One last thing, before the end of the lesson." said Oobleck, practically teleporting in front of Nyx. "Miss Nightshade, have I made enough points to refute your claim that my subject is" -he air quoted- "dumb?"

"What points?" asked Nyx brashly.

"_What points?" _repeated Oobleck. He shook his head in mock wonder. "Let's address your complaints one by one, shall we?"

"One; The dead are less important than the living. This is, strictly speaking, true, but dead people are valuable because they are the best type of people to learn from."

Nyx raised a questioning eyebrow.

"If we can spot their mistakes," explained Oobleck, "We can learn from them, and in doing so, become better people ourselves. Take for example General Lagune and his attempt to raid a Faunus Camp at night, not taking into account their night vision. His mistake cost him his freedom, and then his arrogance cost him his life. What would you have done instead, knowing the true extent of the situation?"

"_Not_ attacked the Faunus camp?"

"Exactly! Now onto complaint B; Villages being wiped off the map?" He laughed. "A bit of hyperbole there! Of course, a hundred years ago this was an almost common occurrence. Nowadays, it is exceedingly rare. Any town would have Hunters assigned to it, who can call for help if needed."

He gestured at the rest of the class. "Some of you will be assigned to these villages after your time here at Beacon, while others will remain in the city to deal with Miss Nightshade's third point. Over the years, crime rates have incrsased dramatically. This is hardly surprising, given the rising population density of Vale, from both nomadic migration and increasing birth rates."

Oobleck's face turned pensive here. "Unfortunately there is also one other major factor at work here." He gazed up at the wide windows at the back of the classroom. To Harry's surprise, he actually put down his coffee mug.

"There exist people who never start or complete their Hunter training, through injury or no fault of their own. These people sometimes have to steal to survive, using these skills in conjunction with their Aura."

Was it his imagination, or was Nyx shifting uncomfortably in her seat?

"But even worse are the graduated Hunters, who find themselves adrift from their jobs of protecting people. They turn to crime, maybe for a profit, maybe even just for fun."

A few seconds of silence passed, only broken by Tai's snores.

"Anyway!" Oobleck straightened up again, the life returning to his blue eyes, "Where were we? Ah, yes, overpopulation. Imagine if the leaders of Vale sixty years ago realised just how bad the situation would get. A Mountain Glenn that could have been built right at the beginning, using the money gained by the population boom!

"Ah, alas, alack, it was only built as a _response_, rather than as a precaution. We must pity the fools of the past, and work together to make sure the people of the future don't view _us_ as such."

The bell rang, and Raven wasn't the only person to wake with a start.

"Homework is a two thousand words on the _end _of the Second Crusade! Have it done by next week. Dismissed!" said Oobleck. "And Miss Nightshade, in regards to your assignment and your behavior in class, see me after your next class."

* * *

"Are you going to piss off the next teacher too?" asked Kaos dryly as they exited the classroom.

Nyx glowered at him. "I just prefer actions to words."

"Obviously."

"Lunchtime!" interrupted Harry cheerfully, heading the conversation off. He had found the only way to stop his teammates fighting was to kill the conversation before it picked up any steam and turned into an insult match. It was sad that he had figured this out by the second day.

"Already?" asked Raven, checking her watch. "Huh. I didn't realise History was two hours long."

"Yeah. Next up, we got Grimm Studies for an hour, then Combat for two."

"Finally! Something useful." grinned Nyx, cracking her knuckles.

Kaos opened his mouth, no doubt to say something derogatory, but closed it at Harry's pointed look.

They got their food and sat down at the table.

"I hear we're going to be fighting in the first lesson." mentioned Nyx hopefully.

"A second year told me they would just put all of us into a pit and throw random items in." said Kaos. "See who survives the longest. They said it was called 'Beacon Royale'."

Raven frowned. "I'm pretty sure they were lying."

"Pity." sighed Nyx, leaning back in her chair. "That sounded awesome."

* * *

_**The world's just fine  
Kingdoms in peace  
Inside, the darkness ending**_

* * *

**A/N As a teaser for the next chapter, who would win in a fight between Tai and Neo? Or Raven and Summer? A few new semblances are coming.**


	11. Times Of War

**A/N Family issues came up a little earlier than I thought. Made a few changes to earlier chapters. Removed the prologue entirely for editing. **

**P.S. I'm ignoring everything from Volume 3 onwards. Well, almost everything. Let's just say, I'll be selective.**

Disclaimer: ** Team STRQ? Who's that?**

* * *

**Chapter 11:**

**Times of War **

* * *

**_The world grows dark,_**

"Welcome to Grimm Studies." said Professor Port. He was, as Tai might say, portly, dressed in a maroon coloured waistcoat with olive green boots. He had an impressive brown beard and moustache, as well as bushy eyebrows that nearly hid his eyes completely.

"The Immortal Enemy," he proclaimed, "Prowlers of the Night, the Blackened Plague. Demons, Monsters, the Soulless. All names to describe these beasts, of which Grimm is only the most popular, and one of the most recent."

"But me -Ha!- I call them _prey_!"

Harry rolled his eyes. That sounded like a joke that had been repeated way too many times already.

* * *

"_You already know why you were invited to Beacon. Because you're the best of the best." _

_Amber stood in the middle of the arena, a simple clipboard held loosely in her hand. She didn't have a microphone, but her voice was heard by everyone regardless. _

_"Except you're not. Right now, you're just first years, the lowest of the low. My job is to train you, not to fight, not to blindly charge in, but to **think **instead."_

_Nyx groaned. All she wanted to do was fight Grimm. And people. People _were_ more exciting, but tended to be less... killable than Grimm. The government frowned on murder for some reason. _

_"You have to be able to evaluate an enemy before fighting them. Use their moves against them. That's why teams are so strong together. They can think of ways to combine their abilities ahead of time, in ways that surprise even the most prepared of opponents. But individually, Hunters are weak and predictable. That's how they die." she said grimly. _

_Who cares?! This was called Combat Class, wasn't it? Where's the combat?_

_"To determine how well you can react to unknown threats, I will be assigning fights between students unaware of the other's fighting style for the next few lessons."_

_There it is! Woo! _

_"Instead of the usual loss at 10% Aura, I will be increasing it to a 50% match. This will be to emphasise any risks taken, as well as shorten the length of each match."_

_**Boo**. _

_"First up; Summer Rose and Raven Branwen."_

* * *

Raven quickly wrote Grimm Studies off as a lost cause. Ten minutes in and all they had done was listen to Port's boasts.

"I myself have spent many an adventurous year out on the oceans of Mistral, fighting off Preyahnas. Or in the deserts of Vacuo, cutting down hardy Grimm. Even on the Atlesien mountains, where I received this terrible scar from a Grifang."

For Oum's sake! Why had she slept in History? This was way more boring.

"But my favourite place to hunt Grimm is in the forests of our own Vale. In fact, on my very _first_ venture out into Emerald Forest, I found, and _captured_ a Beowolf. I was fourteen, and all I welded was my father's..."

To her right, Kaos coughed. Raven glanced at him. He had his arm up at a lazy angle, waiting for Port to realise.

The professor continued his recount of his adventure. Kaos coughed again, slightly louder this time.

Port turned slightly, catching sight of Kaos' hand. He stopped talking almost mid-sentence. "Yes, Mr...?"

"Nomos, sir." answered Kaos politely. "Not to detract from your _fascinating_ story, but I was wondering whether you would teach of more of the... specifics of Grimm."

If Port detected the sarcasm, he didn't show it. "Ah, of course!" he said, strolling over to his desk, and picking up a heavy tome. "Over the years, many theories have developed around the monsters that prowl over Remnant. Every culture had a creation myth, along with a name, for the Grimm."

He flipped the pages of the tome, stopping at random pages. "For instance, the Atlantiens, ancient precursors to the kingdom of Mantle, believed that the Grimm were created by humans with superior technology, long ago. Other cultures believed in higher deities using them as punishment, with a Grimm created for every sin of murder, theft and _lust_. That would certainly explain their increasing numbers!" He winked at the class.

Was he suggesting...?

Eww.

* * *

_"Crap." swore Raven, checking her weapon sheath, "I haven't had time to refill the Dusts in my sheath yet."_

_"Guess you'll just have to make do with what you've got." said Harry. Raven stuck her tongue out at him and descended into the arena. _

_A few hecklers shouted out, but Raven ignored them. Harry couldn't help but notice they seemed to be mostly directed at Raven, rather than Summer. _

_It was kinda ironic though. Summer was a Faunus too, they just didn't know it. _

_The two Faunus (Fauni? Fauna? He needed to check what the plural was) met at the centre, and shook hands. Harry leant forward in his seat as the whistle blew and the two combatants drew their weapons. _

* * *

"Which theory do _you_ subscribe to, sir?" asked Summer.

"As a teacher, I'm not really supposed to have a bias." explained Port. "However, I do tend to lean towards the Grimm as a natural force, as opposed to a created one. They seem to keep a balance, tearing down mankind when we rise too high."

"And we _have_ fallen, no doubt about that. Evidence points to civilisations capable of destroying the world, and maybe even destroying others, judging by the state of the moon. Perhaps mankind has even left our planet, somehow circumventing the problem of how Dust deteriorates rapidly upon leaving the atmosphere. A very literal interpretation of the name 'Remnant'."

Port closed the old tome with a snap. "But, through Grimm or through the occupants, a kingdom _will_ fall. Our current society may be better than some, but even _we_ have our problems."

* * *

_Summer fired the pistol of her drawn weapon once, testing the waters. _

_Raven dodged it easily. _

_As she waited for the Summer to make another move__, Raven inspected her opponent's weapons. _

_Summer's cutlasses were personalised to look like really out of proportion rose flowers. The barrels of her pistols were the rose itself, petals surrounding the muzzles. Her drawn blade's rose was silvery, almost like fish scales, while the other's was pure white. The blade and hilt of both were just elongated thorns, sticking out the 'stem'. _

_Raven's own weapon on the other hand, was more utilitarian than decorative, with a sleek black katana handle. She called it Kaleido, pronounced 'collide-oh'. Her brother called it 'stupid' and 'impractical', but that was him being dumb. And besides, look at his monstrosity of a weapon._

_She winced as she checked her Dust readout again. Both the Fire/Ice pair and the Light/Dark were depleted, having been used up in the initiation. In the Ice case, the entire blade was missing, but that usually happened anyway, as the ice trapped the blade. The rest of the Dusts were pretty useless. They were fit for more of a support function. _

_The best chance she had was if she used the Air and the Fire varient together, but it would be hard. She had deliberately designed the sheath mechanism to be slow, so as to stop any kind of cross contamination between blades. _

_If that were to happen, there would probably be a really, really big explosion._

_Probably better to start with some traditional sword fighting. _

_She switched to a blade that was out of Dust, drawing it out of the sheath. _

_Time to dance. _

* * *

"Racism, crime, war, overpopulation..." listed Port, "The world truly is a 'grim' place. Ha! An excellent end to the lesson don't you think? Homework is two pages on the various theories surrounding the Grimm."

"That was depressing." said Harry as they exited the classroom.

"What was?" asked Nyx.

"The end of the lesson? The 'We're all going to die eventually, and it's probably going to be our fault'?"

"Old news, Harry." said Tai, "That's why we became Hunters in the first place, to fight that sort of stuff. Right guys?"

A murmur of assent met Harry's confused look.

"But..."

"But what, Harry?" asked Summer pointedly. She gave him a hard stare. He got the message.

* * *

_A sword fight, huh? You've stepped into my territory, Raven._

_Summer had only one cutlass out, the one she called Argentum, but Tai had nicknamed it 'Silver'. Unfortunately, it had stuck, along with the name for her other weapon; 'Cold'. Very funny Tai. I hope you're proud of yourself. _

_Back in the present, she positioned herself with one foot ahead of the other, inviting Raven forward. _

_Her opponent took the bait, lunging forward. Summer caught the katana on her own blade, flicking it aside. She sliced at Raven in return, stepping back after the attack was dodged._

_Raven tried again, attempting a feint this time, but Summer saw it for what it was, ignoring it and driving her point forwards. Raven ducked slightly, letting the blade bounce off a shoulder pad, then sweeping her leg across the floor, trying to trip her. Summer jumped over it, parrying another sneaky attack. _

_Time to go on the offensive. _

_She drew Cold mid-air, managing to nick her opponent before Raven even realised she had her other blade out. _

_Summer took two steps back, then launched forwards, driving forwards in a hard flurry of strikes, whittling Raven's Aura downwards. She punctuated some of the attacks with gunshots, as well as occasionally jumping over Raven, just to confuse her. _

_Raven ducked and dodged her attacks, letting the few that connected hit armour. She even placed her katana back in its sheath. _

_Summer leapt forward, trying to interrupt whatever Raven was obviously trying, but her opponent kept dodging away, blocking any attacks with her armour. A few calls came from the crowd, booing Raven as she backed away. _

_With one last click, the sheath display landed on an orange section. Summer took a step back as Raven grinned. _

_Raven drew her katana. It glowed a dim, warm orange colour. The air around it was rippling slightly, and Summer felt the blast of hot air. The temperature of the whole arena started to rise. _

* * *

_The katana sliced through the air. The orange seemed to slide towards the tip, propelled by the swing of the blade. It gathered, and pushed its way out, coalescing into a great burning ball. It was only the size of a head, but unfortunately for Raven, it didn't fly forwards. Or move. It just stayed where it was. _

_Oh gods, she had forgotten just how hot this Dust was. Sweat was dropping from her hair. There was a reason she had called it Sun Dust. The floor under it was even melting slightly. _

_She quickly put her blade back in the sheath. As it clicked slowly, her opponent took a few __potshots at her. _

_Summer had backed up, away from the heat. She must have figured out the ball was physical, because she began shooting directly at it, pushing it closer to Raven. Raven backed away even further, cursing her sheath design. _

_Mental note: Put Air closer to Sun._

_With another click, the blade landed on Air. Raven barely let the hilt latch on before she drew the katana. _

_"Batter up!" she quipped, swinging the blade like, well, a bat. The edge of the yellowish blade clipped the burning ball, and it flew forwards, way faster than when Summer had been shooting at it. _

_It flew towards Summer__, but she dodged, jumping straight up into the air. _

_Raven looked up at her opponent and saw nothing but Summer's billowing white cloak. She couldn't tell where Summer was in that chaos. She ran forward to where the sun was hovering, hitting it upwards into the cloak. The cloak collapsed into a single point, and out of it came Summer, directly towards her, shooting her pistols. The cloak wasn't even burnt. _

_Summer herself looked a little singed as her boot impacted against Raven's chest. Raven stumbled backwards, but recovered. She stabbed, with a double handed grip, at the ground. _

_The blast from the blade sent both of them flying away. Raven lost her grip on the katana as she hit the arena wall, the air in her lungs expelling out. _

_They both staggered to their feet as the whistle blew. _

_"And the first match ends in a draw!" said Amber. "Very evenly matched, you two, but I suspect if Miss Branwen had access to all her Dusts this match may have concluded differently."_

_Amber_ knew_ she didn't have her best Dusts?!_

_"I wished to see how creative you were with the resources you had, and you impressed me. Usually Dust users are more rigid and unable to adapt to new situations."_

_Oh._

_"Thank you, Miss Pamby."_

_"You're welcome."_

_Summer appeared to be sulking as they made their way back to the teams. _

_"No hard feelings, ok?" asked Raven, worried slightly, "I mean, we tied, right?"_

_"Sure, yeah. No hard feelings." Summer said, the tone of her voice suggesting anything but. _

_They sat down, Summer taking the seat furthest from Raven. _

_"Don't worry." said Tai, leaning forward. "She's just not used to losing."_

_"But she didn't lose. We tied, right?"_

_"Ah, but in her mind she lost. The teacher approved of _you_, not her."_

_"That's stupid."_

_"I know, believe me. I had to deal with little Miss Sore Loser for six years."_

_They were interrupted by the announcement of the next match. "Robin Sustrai verses Pho Vita."_

_Both Raven and Tai quieted to watch. _

* * *

"Is this going to be a weekly thing?" asked Harry as Summer paced the abandoned classroom. The moon was back in its shattered phase again, and the dim light illuminated Harry where he sat. "Cause my team is going to get suspicious."

"No no." she replied. "I brought you here because I cringe every time I see you stumbling out there."

"Stumbling?"

"Like... not knowing why eye colour is important, or making such a big deal over the stuff Port said. Everyone in this school has grown up hearing stories about Grimm. We know what sort of devastation they leave behind. If the public were to find out just how hopeless the situation was, the Grimm would feel that fear, and swarm the cities."

She sat down. "As Hunters, we're meant to put on a brave face, allay any of the public's fears. It's just another part of our training, to disguise negative emotions by simply not feeling them. And then there you are, probably attracting every Grimm in a mile radius"

"Oh yeah?" retorted Harry, "Why don't we talk about _your _negative emotions?"

"My_ what_?" asked Summer coldly.

"Both our teams could see you sitting there, fuming after your match with Raven. And now you're taking it out on me!"

"I'm not angry." Summer said, through gritted teeth.

"Really? Look at your hands."

She looked down. Her hands were gripping the table so hard her fingers were white.

"_Now_ tell me you're not angry."

She took a deep breath and uncurled them. She stood up and started pacing again.

"Fine. I'm angry. Happy?"

"But why are you so damn angry?"

"What are you, a shrink?" she spat.

"No." he said, shaking his head. "I'm a friend. That's what friends do."

Summer stopped in front of him. She let her cloak fall to the ground, revealing her wings. She bent down close to stare him in the eyes, the white feathers cocooning them in their own little world, barely a meter in diameter.

"_You're not my friend_." she whispered. Harry physically recoiled, as if slapped. His back touched the edge of the cocoon. "We're just two people, bound together by our secrets. If I were to tell anyone about your mask, I'm sure you would just turn around and reveal my wings."

A heavy silence filled the classroom.

"No." said Harry quietly. "I wouldn't."

He pushed past the wings, leaving behind a completely still Summer. She only moved as the door clicked shut, turning slowly to face it. Her mouth hung open, trying to say something, something she didn't even know how to say.

_An apology._

* * *

**_They spread like mold_**

"There have been many civilisations on Remnant." said Oobleck cheerfully, "From what archaeological records we have been able to discover, we have isolated seven completely separate cultures. Some of them we know almost nothing but their names, while others left behind detailed... Details!"

"The earliest, and possibly the most notable, was founded 4000 years ago, and called Atlantis. They believed in high technology, rather like the modern Atlas. In fact, Mistral still comes across their sea bases on occasion, abandoned and flooded, but still _highly_ durable..."

"So what's up between you and Summer?" asked Tai suddenly. He was playing an FPS on some sort of hand-held machine, though the game was paused. "You break-up or something?"

"Uh- We- wait, what?" spluttered Harry, checking Summer wasn't looking their way. She seemed engrossed in Oobleck's lecture. "We've only known each other for a week! We were never..."

"That was a joke. Calm down." said Tai, rolling his eyes. "I don't think Summer could maintain a relationship with anyone. But you're the closest I've seen come to it, with those 'secret' midnight trysts of yours."

"They weren't- We didn't-" Harry's face was getting dangerously red. "We just talked, that's all!"

"Well then, what happened? Did she give you the 'cold' shoulder, or did she just get angry and condescending?"

Harry hesitated. "Angry and condescending." he said finally.

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Huh. You know, usually it's the other one. You must have really pissed her off."

"Yeah." agreed Harry.

"But the Atlesien's technology was still overwhelmed by the Grimm," said Oobleck excitedly, "and they just _disappeared_! Maybe off the planet! Or to another dimension! No one actually knows!"

* * *

_"The next match; Taiyang Xiao Long and Neopolitan."_

_"Finally!" said Tai. Two days, and none of team BSTN or team BRKN had been chosen to fight since the first lesson. And now, two at once?_

_He vaulted the final barrier into the arena, while Neo followed at a more sedate pace. _

_Tai grinned at the silent girl. "Ready?" he asked. _

_She nodded. _

_He had been hoping for an opponent he could banter with, maybe throw a few puns with his punches. Sadly, from everything he had seen of Neo, she was functionally mute. Technically, she could talk. Tai had heard her say her name, but she appeared to say nothing else, communicating in writing if need be. _

_He bounced up and down on the spot, tensely anticipating the whistle. It blew, and he ran forward, arm held back for a powerful punch. If he could end it quick, it didn't matter what silent tricks she had up her sleeve. _

_The image of the still girl shattered under his fist like a plane of glass, leaving him stumbling forward. "What the...?" he muttered, confused. _

_The blow took him by surprise, a high heeled shoe colliding with his head and sending him to the ground. He came back up in a roll, finding Neo grinning behind him. _

_Ah, so that was her Semblance, huh? Well, **two** can play at that game. _

_He held up his hands in a typical boxers stance, inviting her closer. _

_She took the opportunity, swinging a leg lightning fast from his right. _

_To the audience, he looked like he didn't even attempt to block it, letting it hit him hard in the ribs. _

* * *

"The Herpoans on the contrary, believed in Magic. Their era, only 2000 years ago, was the first mention of Faunus by the way, and it is commonly believed that they were the offspring of cruel Dust experiments. Whatever the truth, Faunus are now a foundation of the world, despite poor attitudes towards them..."

"Summer gave _me_ the cold shoulder," inputed Raven, over Tai's shoulder. Harry hadn't even noticed she was there. "Hasn't said a word to me since the first day's fight."

"Maybe give her a bit of slack." said Harry, shifting slightly uncomfortable, "Sure, she's a little antisocial-"

_"_A_ little?" _said Tai, shaking his head. "Trust me. As someone who's known her for a long time, I can safely say she is a _bitch_. No offense Raven."

"None taken."

"She's as cold as the summer is hot. If you can thaw her out, go ahead and try. But be warned, it's a long journey, one _I_ already gave up on."

Tai turned his attention back to Oobleck. Harry raised an eyebrow at Raven.

His partner shrugged. "Good luck?"

"But the Grimm flooded the Herpoan's borders, scattering the tiny kingdom and forcing them into even _smaller_ tribes."

* * *

_For a split second, Neo's foot touched Tai. It was only then she realised he was still grinning. _

_She found her leg spinning back again with the same amount of force she kicked with. And that was a lot of force. _

_She managed to convert it into a little awkward spin, staying on her feet. _

_A glance at the scoreboard told her Tai had taken perhaps a quarter of the damage from the blow. _

_Interesting. His Semblance appeared to be redirecting an opponent's momentum back at them. If a normal person had tried that kick, they probably would have dislocated their knee from the sudden reversal of force. _

_She smiled. This was going to be much more fun than she had anticipated__. _

* * *

"One of the reasons our modern Kingdoms have survived so long is our cooperation. Despite the wars that have been fought between our nations, every Kingdom has the responsibility towards the main problem; Grimm..."

"Hey, Summer." whispered Harry, leaning forward. She glared at him, probably for interrupting her concentration. "Look, I'm sorry for what I said a few days ago. Do you want to meet again tonight?"

She looked at him for a few more seconds, than turned away.

Harry sat back. Tai was shaking his head at him, mouthing 'I told you so'.

"I mentioned the 'Lands' a few days ago, did I not?" Harry looked up. Oobleck had a map of Remnant out on the board, pointing at each of the Kingdoms in turn.

"Well, it's no coincidence that there are both four Lands and four Kingdoms. Each Kingdom is, in broad terms, 'responsible' for a Land."

"Each Kingdom fights off the spawn of their respective Land, culling the creatures before they spread too far into another's territory."

* * *

_Tai flipped his guns out from his knuckledusters, firing at Neo. She had her umbrella up immediately, blocking every shot. _

_He switched back with a twitch of his hands, as she ran forwards to meet him. A punch to the umbrella did nothing, and she jumped over him, folding her umbrella back in again._

_He twisted around, letting a fist fly forward. She ducked under it, turning around. Too late, he realised he had overextended. She grabbed his outstretched arm and threw him over her shoulder. _

_As he flipped, she let go and gave him a kick in the small of the back for good measure. He rolled head over heels until he came to a stop. _

_He stood back up swiftly. She had figured his Semblance **fast**. He couldn't apply it to only two things. Small forces, like being grabbed, and things he couldn't see coming. So it meant she was free to do things like **that**, throwing him all over the place, and hitting him while his back was turned. __Speaking of which..._

_He spun to face the approaching girl and punched again, careful not to overextend again. She grabbed his arm anyway, so he yanked it back violently. _

_She used the forward momentum to her advantage, cartwheeling forwards. Her feet were heading directly towards his face, so he blocked them, but she pushed upwards with her hands at the last second, flying clear above them. _

_Her feet gripped his skull with a sudden jolt. She performed **another** front flip mid-air, leveraging her insane strength to send him flying upwards._

_He flailed through the air until he hit the__ top of the invisible arena shield and started falling again. He steadied himself and looked down. She was still directly below him, with her umbrella opened upwards. _

_Time for his specialty. A **Pun**ch. A pun mixed with a punch that was devastating both physically and mentally to the opponent._

_"It's raining men!" he shouted as he descended. _

_His fist hit the umbrella so hard the floor beneath Neo bent and broke. He used the force of the punch to propel himself away. _

_He checked the scoreboard and was amazed to see that he was winning. Her Aura was either extremely weak compared to his or that plane of glass trick had taken a lot out of her. _

_She was looking at the scoreboard too, so he took the opportunity to attack. She didn't react as he ran closer, so he began to suspect a trap, and a single shot from a revolver confirmed his suspicions. As the glass shattered into shards, Neo faded into view on his right, leg already in mid-swing. _

_He activated his Semblance just in time. The leg flew back again, sending her into the same awkward spin. This allowed him the opportunity to hit her unprotected back, which he took with great pleasure, remembering Neo's own kick. _

_As she skidded across the floor the whistle blew. __Neo's Aura had gone below 50% with that hit, meaning the match was over._

_Tai bowed to the crowd as Neo got up, letting the applause wash over him. _

_At Amber's prompt, they shook hands, and went back to their team, Neo scowling slightly. _

_"This was a classic case of a powerhouse vs a 'glass' cannon." said the professor. Tai approved. "Neopolitan might have won, had she had been able to land that final blow. Unfortunately, she was unoriginal in her approach, using the same trick twice. Mr Xiao Long took advantage of this, anticipating the attack and reacting accordingly."_

* * *

Harry sat down, facing the darkness at the back of the classroom.

A voice came from the shadows.

"What did you say, in History?"

He took a deep breath. "I said... '_I'm sorry_'."

"Why?"

"Why? You mean why did I apologise?"

No reply.

"Because it was the only thing I could do that would help mend our friendship."

"But you had nothing to apologise for." the dark replied, the sound of her breath quickening. "_I_ should have apologised. _I _was the one in the wrong. I thought of you as a blackmailer, while you thought of me as a friend."

"_It's okay_, Summer." said Harry calmly, as one might talk to a rampaging zoo animal. "I _understand_. You've spent so long with a secret that you can't _help_ but look for people who would reveal it. You have to let go of that mentality, let yourself _trust_ someone."

Summer stepped forward, out of the shadows. Her cloak was as black as Harry's own, but that hadn't mattered. He had see her regardless. As he watched, it melted back into the snow white he knew.

Summer hugged him tightly. "Thank you." she breathed over his shoulder, the words floating in the empty room.

* * *

**_Every death descending_**

_"And the final match; Harry Black verses Jonathan Arc."_

_"Dude, kick that racist's ass for me!" said Raven emphatically. As the only Faunus in the year (at least, the only public Faunus), she was the prime target for Jon and his cronies. _

_The other two members of the team, Nyx and Kaos, seemed equally excited, despite not being as affected by Jon's casual racism. They had won their own fights pretty easily. _

_Harry entered the arena while his opponent stepped in from the opposite side. Behind him, Harry__ could see Jon's own team cheering him on too. _

_Jonathan was an intimidating person close up. Tall, good looking, sword on his hip, he was the image of a perfect Huntsman. He came from a long, **long** history of warriors, dating back to the founding of the Kingdoms. His ascendant had fought on both sides of both wars, and fought well. He walked with an arrogance that betrayed that pride and belief that he was better than everyone around him, simply because of his bloodline. _

_The problem, and it was a **big** problem, was that he took after the Arcs on the losing side of the Faunus Revolution. In other words, he was racist. Really racist. Like 'all Faunus are inferior and should be exterminated' racist. _

_True to character, when Jon got close enough, he leaned in and whispered "You're the one with an animal as a partner, right?" Just loud enough for Harry to hear, but not enough for the microphones to pick him up. _

_Harry ignored him, just like he had ignored him at lunch when Jon had tried to provoke a fight with his whole team. _

_"You'll lose just like that bitch did." Jon sneered. Harry's grip on his sword was tight, his fingers paling. He forced himself to relax, uncurling his fingers from the hilt, letting his wand slip in and out of its holster into his hand. _

_"She didn't lose." he said simply. _

_"She didn't win." retorted Jon. _

_The whistle blew and Harry drew his sword. They started circling each other, waiting for the other to attack._

_Jon unclipped his sword from his belt. It was completely black, without a cross guard and seemingly still in its sheath. _

_With a grin, Jon swung the sword. Harry jumped back, despite him being several meters out of reach. _

_"You scared?" laughed Jon. _

_It appeared the swing was to shift the weapon. With a click, the sheath parts of the sword folded outwards, creating two sword-length guards perpendicular to the blade. These telescoped inwards to a more manageable length. _

_"No," replied Harry, "Just wary."_

_His sword now in a more 'traditional' state, Jon began the fight. _

_Harry blocked the overhead blow awkwardly, stepping back to steady himself. Jon swung at his right, and Harry barely managed to block it. _

_Harry tried to feint forwards, receiving a glancing blow to his shoulder for his troubles. _

_Jon pressed forward, Harry just trying to block each swing, occasionally taking a hit and making an attack of his own. _

_"Does the Faunus-lover not know how to use a sword?" Jon taunted with another swipe, knocking Harry's own weapon to the side._

_The blonde boy shoulder charged him, knocking Harry to the floor. A boot to the stomach ensured he stayed there. _

_"How are you," asked Jon, the venom in his voice palpable, "fit to lead a team? It's pathetic. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a Faunus yourself. You're weak. You're **broken**."_

_He lifted his sword overhead and Harry raised one arm in a futile attempt to block the finishing blow. _

* * *

"You guys don't mind that I'm the team leader?" asked Harry, surprised.

Raven was fiddling with her Dust machine in the corner, while Kaos watched. Nyx was throwing her knives at the dartboard on the door. It was positioned at head height.

"Not really." she said. _Thunk. _Bullseye_. _Again. "I'd rather just stay out of the public eye."

"So would I." said Kaos. "And you made a pretty good showing at initiation."

"_Pretty good_?" snorted Raven. "He was unconscious half the time." A puff of smoke escaped from one of the test tubes in her hand. She poured them into the machine and pressed the red button.

"He took out the Lindrac."

"Admittedly, that _was_ pretty impressive."

Harry shifted uncomfortably.

"And you've been good at managing the team." added Kaos. "With Raven's Dust experiments, and keeping Nyx in line."

The girl in question shot him a glare and opened her mouth.

Raven's machine interrupted her with loud bang and everyone ducked to the floor.

When nothing happened they picked themselves up again.

"Another failure." said Raven, crossing something off a clipboard.

Harry looked at his watch and jumped up. "Crap! I'm late for my sword training with Summer."

"Lovebirds!" crooned Nyx, as usual.

Harry frowned. "You've spied on us enough times to know that these aren't secret make out sessions. And I _need_ the training, so that Combat match doesn't repeat itself."

"Hey! I use a sword as well." said Raven. "Why can't _I_ train you?"

"Remember _your_ Combat match? Against Summer? It's a _little_ hard to say, but I think she's better at swordplay."

Harry ducked out, before Raven could get her hands on a Dust vial to throw at him.

* * *

_The blade swung down- and caught on Harry's wrist holster. Harry had used his Aura to slow the sword to manageable levels and then used his metal holster to block the actual blade. _

_He stabbed upwards, his sword catching Jon hard in the stomach, wiping the confident look from his opponent's face. To Jon, it appeared Harry had just blocked a blow that should have broken his arm, with nothing but his Aura. _

_Jon grunted and stumbled backwards, away from him. Harry glanced at the scoreboard and was surprised to see the bar representing Jon's Aura dropping rapidly. When it stopped, Jon was still ahead of Harry, but only 90% to his 80%. _

_"What the hell is on your sword!?" Jon exclaimed, patting wildly at his stomach. He moved his hands away to let Harry see a patch of bare skin where a small patch of clothing had dissolved. "This was my good shirt!"_

_Harry grinned. Finally, an **advantage**. _

_He rushed forward. _

* * *

"You know, there's the school dance coming up." said Summer hesitantly, swinging her cutlass.

Harry grunted as he blocked it, twisting around to retaliate. She stepped back gracefully, the blade passing within millimetres of her chest. "Yeah I know," he replied as he swung again.

"Do you have a partner?" she asked parrying him.

"Nah. Raven's going with Tai, and Nyx is going with Pho from team PHNX. The only other girl I know personally is Neo, and I don't think she would answer me."

"What about me?" asked Summer, mock-hurt. "I'm a girl!"

"Oh yeah. Sorry."

Summer ducked his next slash, then swept out Harry's legs from under him.

She continued the spin, using the flat of her blade to disarm Harry, hitting his hand and sending the sword flying off to the right. The whole seamless movement ended with the tip of the cutlass at Harry's throat.

"Why don't you ask me?"

Harry blinked, acutely aware of the blade centimetres away from his skin. "Are you... asking me to the dance?"

"No. I'm waiting for _you_ to ask _me_."

_Would_ she cut his throat if he didn't? He couldn't take that chance. "Will you, Summer Rose, accompany me to the school dance?"

"Of course!" she said, sheathing the weapon. "Thank you."

She practically skipped away.

"_What_ just happened?" asked Harry in utter bewilderment. The empty training room didn't reply.

* * *

_Harry managed to get a good blow in before Jon recovered, dropping him to 85%. But then Jon took the advantage back and stabbed Harry in the same shoulder as last time, and then cut across his sword arm. _

_They exchanged a few blows, Harry's dealing more damage, but fewer in number and often at the sacrifice of his own Aura. _

_Jon knocked him to the ground with a risky manoeuvre, so Harry tried to use his wand holster to block the blade again. Jon was wise to the trick now, forcing Harry to roll away. _

_Both of them were panting at this point. Harry straightened up, slipping his wand out of the holster. _

_Surprise attack time._

_Jon was forced to jump back as a small gout of flame ejected seemingly from Harry's hand. Both their Aura levels dropped slightly. _

_Harry sent a burst of wind through the smoke, clearing it away and making Jon stumble slightly. _

_Harry stepped forward to deal Jon another glancing blow. They were now dead even at 55% Aura. One more hit from Harry and Jon would slip below 50%, while Jon had to make it up some other way. _

_Jon scrambled backwards and Harry pursued at a leisurely rate, enjoying the juxtaposition of the situation only minutes ago. _

_"What was it you called me?" he asked. "Weak? At least **I** don't try to find meaning in my life by hurting others."_

_Jon stood up angrily, letting Harry see the state of his clothing. He was missing a few patches where the acid had eaten away at his shirt. Thankfully it wasn't burning his skin. _

_"Fuck you, Black." growled Jon. _

_"Language!" admonished Amber from her podium. _

_"Screw you too, Arc." replied Harry. _

_In response, Jon swung his sword at mid-air again, shifting it. One cross guard telescoped outwards and pivoted back onto the blade. It folded at a right angle about three quarters down the edge._

_Jon rested the blade of the sword, with the edge covered by the guard, on his shoulder. The folded part was behind him, and his finger was on the bit that clipped the sword to his belt. And the__ hilt was pointed at Harry. _

_It kinda looked... like a rocket launcher. Oh crap__. It **was** a rocket launcher._

_Harry ran forward, trying to finish the fight before Jon could fire his weapon._

_Jon ran forward too, but shot downwards at the last second. An explosion pushed him upwards. Jon actually managed to graze the top of Harry's head with his blade as he did a front flip over him. _

_Harry skidded to a stop, turning, but Jon was already on one knee, the rocket launcher pointed at Harry. _

_The hilt folded outward like a flower, revealing seven little pods, one used up already. Jon pulled the trigger, firing all six small rockets at Harry. _

_They flew in arcs, leaving white smoke trails behind them, headed straight for Harry. _

_The explosions rocked the arena. _

_As the smoke cleared, Jon's smile was wiped from his face. A green hemispherical shield was sitting in the middle of the crater, Harry standing in the middle of it, wand raised. _

_As it dissipated, the whistle blew. Both combatants looked up at the scoreboard in surprise. Jon's grin returned as he saw Harry's Aura sitting at 49%, while his own was at 51%. _

_Harry grimaced. He was so close too. That Aura shield had just tipped him over the edge. Harry climbed out of the small crater, meeting Jon in the centre of the arena. __They shook hands, a tad roughly. _

_As they did, Jon leaned in and said, with a smirk, "Better luck next time, Faunus-lover."_

_Harry's hands shook with anger as he walked back to his team._

_"That was quite close." said Kaos with a bit of sympathy. "If your sword skills were a bit better-"_

_"You would have won," interrupted Nyx. "if it was a proper battle, to below 10%."_

_"And what's on your blade?" asked Raven. "That was some high Aura damage."_

_"Some sort of poison I think." he replied. _

_"Not Dust?" she replied, disappointed. "Damn."_

_She snapped her fingers."Hey, that reminds me. I need to try to replicate your Aura Sigils with Dust."_

* * *

"Ready. And... Cast!"

Harry moved his wand in a tight triangle. The burst of air was small, but powerful. The bottle on the table tipped over.

"Awesome." said Raven. "I think I've isolated your main Aura type."

"My Aura type?" asked Harry.

"Everyone has an Aura type. There's no actual application for it, so it's not that well known. Yours is an average Fire."

"How can you tell? And _average_? I would feel insulted if I knew what that meant."

"The subtle variations in colour between your Sigils." answered Raven, holding up her Scroll. On it were the various pictures of the moment his Sigils collapsed into a single point. She pointed out a little swirl of crimson in every one. "You can usually work it out through Aura exercise. Mine is a darker Fire by the way."

"Darker? Oh, so they're like Dust."

"Exactly like Dust. Lighter and Darker. Doesn't actually correlate to good and evil though, judging from history. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, we can start accounting for its interference in your other Sigils."

She continued. "Next we need to isolate exactly what Dust is in your wand. I'm betting on at least some fire. You sure you don't know?"

"It was a family heirloom." lied Harry, picking the bottle they had been practising his Sigils on off the floor.

"Hmm. That makes it harder. We have a ways to go before I can replicate your Sigils."

"Pity. I guess we'll have to work it out after our mission tomorrow. Hopefully we'll finally find some Grimm."

"And then _I'll_ kill them?" said Raven cheekily.

He threw the bottle at her.

* * *

**_The world grows dark,  
_****_They spread like mold,  
_****_Every death descending,_**

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading. The next chapter is actually complete, so look out for that next weekend.**


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